The Centenary Games
by Gergo.Pasztor
Summary: The 100th Games.  A special, ever chaning arena, and a special twist; your friends and family will be part of the game.  The players are in, the playground is set, diffifulity: impossible.  Only one shall survive...or not?
1. Death List

_**Archangel Michael, Unknown Place**_

What time is it? Midnight? After midnight? Sometime around that…anyways. I have things to do. The players have been reaped, they are currently sent to the Capitol. Some are more interesting than others. It is time for me to organize some things, like the **Players**, and their **Team**, like** Mentors**, **Prep Team**, **Stylists** and all. Gabriel wouldn't like if I wouldn't organize…

I open up my word document and start typing away.

The Centenary Games.

The Head Gamemaker: Archangel Gabriel and Archangel Michael.

The players:

District 1: Jewelry

Boy: Jem Stunt

Girl: Daphine Ryte

District 2: Weaponry

Boy: Cade Asher

Girl: Marionette Wintre

District 3: Electronics

Boy: Binar Krein

Girl: Finley Autumn

District 4: Fishing

Boy: Shark

Girl: Carolie Davis

District 5: DNA

Boy: Elias Alto

Girl: Aurora Thorne

District 6: Medicine

Boy: Snapdragon Rasputun

Girl: Xanthe Rowan

District 7: Lumber

Boy: Tobias Sandler

Girl: Madelyn Rosegold

District 8: Textiles

Boy: Cylinder

Girl: Esilka Majorka

District 9: Food Process

Boy: Cody Wilya

Girl: Liania Black

Girl: Jodi Archer

District 10: Farming

Boy: Aden Starr

Girl: Anne Scarlette

District 11: Agriculture

Boy: Range Wisp

Girl: Tayann Walsom

District 12: Coal

Boy: Anglis Rudar-Stvo

Girl: Alia O'Larr


	2. Something Unusual

_Jem Stunt_

Wake up, check.

Look horrible, check.

Go into basement and train.

Mhaaa…I don't want to go down and train. I mean, I do that all the time, but now, I just don't feel like going through my daily routine, which was, by the way, made by myself to keep myself in shape.

In District 1, you have to be in shape if you're a guy. You have to be strong, good looking, and smart. To sum it up you have to be perfect. I'm good with perfection, but some days, I just don't want to do the drill; which is normal for teenagers.

My vision is still blurry, but I don't care. I grab something from the weapon rack and hurl it towards a dummy, or something that looks like a dummy. Then I grab something else, this one's larger and heavier, I guess it is an axe, and throw it towards the straw enemy. Finally, I grab a bow and arrow, pull the arrow, move it a bit around so it is aligned with the head, and shoot.

I trudge towards the dummies, rubbing my eyes, my vision clearing.

"Well, that's good," I say as I shrug at my dummies. I train myself to shoot for the head, neck, heart, and chest. Two out of the three went to the head, and one went to the neck.

Go into basement and train, check.

Make yourself look bearable.

The Stunt family is pretty famous and rich. Every room has a bathroom and study room, not talking about the finest furniture and equipment. I get into my shower cabin and just stand there.

"Start," I say and the water, from all direction, hits my body. First it is hot, but then my skin gets used to the disappearing pain, and now what it is left, is the warm sensation of cleanliness.

Sometimes I spend hours in the cabin, just enjoying a shower, but not now. My secound-to-last year of Reapings is today, and I have but three hours to get ready.

"Stop, and dry." This cabin is operating with voice, and not only it cleans the body, it dries it too.

Make yourself look bearable, check.

And now for your five kilometer jog.

Lovely, but that at least I enjoy.

I get my sweat pants on, my hoodie, gloves, all that warm and fuzzy clothing. I walk downstairs, through the kitchen, grab an apple and into the darkness.

The darkness, I feel so attached to the dark, and the night, and I cannot understand why. Possibly because no one can see you, people are more aware in the darkness, and most people are jumpy. Perfect for the enemy, make it a mugger or a murder, to strike in the cold night.

Great, and now I don't even keep my pace, I have a rhythm of how to run, but now I jog faster. Huh, even my body wants this day to end.

I notice a secound pair of feet hitting the hard ground; but it is still away in a considerable distance.

"Jem? Is that you?" The steps become faster, and now Karlo is next to me.

"Karlo, good morning. Didn't expect to find you here," I say as I tilt my head sideways.

"I started running a week ago."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, but I usually go in the later hours."

"How come you are early then?"

"Uhm…remember that phone call a week ago?"

Yes, how can I forget. He called and told me he loves me, not the brother way, but the lover way. That got me all screwed up. And now I was thinking how to confront the topic. If he really loves me, how should I tell him that I love him too, but not to that extent, but in a brotherly way. And then how will he react? Will we still be friends?

"It was a dare from Bella," He admitted it.

That is reasonable, our common friend, Bella, is the person with the most lust, ever. She enjoys kissing her boyfriend romantically for hours, and doing all kinds of pervert stuff, but not stepping over a specific line. She is not really a bitch or a whore, she's just…well, Bella.

"That explains some things."

"I hope it didn't cause any inconvenience."

"Haha, it's okay, I guess I shouldn't be surprised if Bella is our friend."

"Oh, I almost forgot, is she and Paublo still dating?" He asks.

"Yeah, they are. Yesterday they were chatting for four hours."

"How do you know this?"

"Well she and I were having a chat, and then she invited Paublo, and then only they were talking."

Five kilometer jog, check.

It was good having Karlo talking to me, made the jog seem shorter.

Anyway, he went home, and I went home. My endless list of things to do to keep myself in shape has not yet ended.

Take a normal shower.

Back to my friend, the shower cabin. Wash that skin! Feel the dirt dissipating! I wouldn't be surprised if some idiot army personal would say that. Oh wait, he did say that.

Take a normal shower, check.

Meditate.

I like mediation; it is a time of peace and serenity. I spend an hour or so for meditation, reflected on things in my past, planning for the future, discussing the undiscussable with myself.

Meditate, check.

Lovely, I have an hour left, my family is waking up.

Dia, my mom, I look up to her. You know how there are cliques everywhere? Well my mom is beautiful, and always was beautiful. No one would've expected her to stand up for people who aren't treated like celebrities in life, and protected. This is how my parents met.

Henz was a geek in all his life. He wasn't into sports, though he has a knack for soccer, and he was always this art and sci-fi person. He was regularly bullied, both from his parents and peers. His parents wanted to enter the Games, his peers wanted him to 'man up', but Dia wanted him to be himself.

Luckily, my mom doesn't want me to enter the game neither, so I'm good with the games. For now.

I dress into my formal clothing. Bowtie, white shirt, white pants, looking dandy as ever for the Games.

_Daphine Ryte_

I do not want to wake up. I do not want to go to the Reapings. I do not want to see what the Games bring. I do not want to see our escort, that spider crazy she-he, Rosse, on the stage and hear it use its screeching voice to damn us kids. Why didn't District 13 just use their nucleic bombs and bomb the shit out of the Capitol? Life would be much more normaler.

Then again, we'd have nuclear radiation, not fun.

"I'm leaving Farine!" Dad yells and slams the door.

God how I dislike my father. I mean, he is my father and all but he is an ignorant jerk. I try to like him, and be his little girl, but I just can't! Sometimes I wonder how my mother can stand him. Maybe he has a kind and caring side? I don't know. He was like this forever.

"Okay Day, wake up," I tell myself and roll out of my bad. I find my disgusting looks in a mirror. I look like a drunken hobo, well, that is what you get when party until midnight every day.

I growl and take a shower, noticing my short hair.

_'Oh that's right, mom cut it.' _

How I love her. She is an angel, except her hair. She has jet black hair and ice blue eyes. She is the kindest thing in the world; the exact opposite of my dad.

I remember when Polly, my younger brother, almost cut his finger off. The only thing dad could say was "Get over it," while my mom went crazy about her son almost cutting his finger. The funniest thing was that Polly was having the best time of his life. I'm not saying my dad should be as worrying as mom, but at least pretend he cares about us.

The warm water suddenly went cold.

"Polly goddamit!"

My bro's a genius…but he is also only ten; that is what I dislike. Little kids, they are so…just dumb! But that's me talking.

He can be a crybaby and a total idiot, compared when he is talking his smart talk. He got my dad's brown hair.

I dress in my usual clothing, a white t-shirt with some picture on it, on this there is an eagle, jeans and sneakers. My short wavy hair goes perfectly with my attire.

"Good morning hun," my mom greets as she puts her delicious pancakes on the table.

"Good morning mom," I hug her.

Polly comes out of the bathroom, walks besides me and I knock on his head.

"Gnome."

"Hey!"

"Shuut iit," I warn him and he shuts up and eats his breakfast.

"Daphine, what do you plan today, you know, reapings?"

Ugh. "Ugh. I go meet up with Kerry and Torres, go to the café or something and then to the reapings and then home."

I can just imagine Torres saying 'That is the good attitude love.' I think there is a little something-something between us, I don't know. I just might ask him, but he calls love without reason.

"Mom, I'm leaving," I call as I get my leather jacket.

"Okay, have fun."

That I shall mom; that I shall.

"So…" Torres broke the awkward silence between us. Kerry is still not here.

Torres is a typical Latino heartthrob. He has black spiky hair with large brown eyes, a mouth that curves into a smile, a fading goatee and something that he calls a mustache, but really, it's peach fuzz. He has a mania of showing his body off, which can be irritating at times, or quite welcomed. He has a wound on his … breast? That is the right terminology, from a training accident.

He is somewhat shy, but a little cocky and short tempered, but adorable times two.

"So…" I continue.

"Last year I have a chance to be a tribute," he says weirdly.

"Don't talk about that topic. Kerry and I have it bad enough, you might actually stand a chance."

"How come?"

"You know…you are a hot mess, with adorable attributes. You have various roles to play off and win the civilians' money."

"Are you calling me good looking?"

"There is no hiding it," I shrug.

"You're not that bad looking either."

And then that silence again. I hate this; usually I'm fine with silences, but not now. Not now when I want to be sure about a really touchy topic.

Kerry comes into view, running, her messenger bag bouncing in rhythm with her ponytails. I like her, she is funny. She is very timid and shy, but that is what makes her all that lovable. She is also kind of clumsy. She has creamy brown hair and brown eyes.

"Guuys! Guys I'm here!" She yells as she waves, not like we would forget about her. When she arrives, she huffs herself out, and sits down. "Sorry, my sister is really crazing over my appearance and all. Whew. So, what's cooking?" _'What's cooking'_ is her way of saying _'What's up.'_

"Nothing, just waiting for you," Torres says, smiling.

"Oh jesus! I'm so sorry!"

"Meh, it's okay," I pat her head, just something I usually do to her. "Uhm, sire," I call for a waiter.

"Yes ma'am?"

"Uhm, fanta for me," I tell him.

"Same for me," Torres nods.

"Here too."

"Anything else?"

I think about it. "Oh,what the hell, three tiramisu please."

"So, three fanta and three tiramisu. Okay, got it." He writes our order down in her note card and leaves.

"Any ideas with reapings?" Kerry starts a new conversation.

"None," I say.

"Well now, I'd love to see some good fights, and I bet there will be something special this year, since it is the hundredth games this year."

"Oh yeah, that will be a bummer for the tributes," Kerry says.

"I bet it is something really evil. Like, … I don't know, but something evil indeed. Like, yeah, like fight naked!"

"Heh, I bet you'd enjoy that…" he was about to agree with me, "the guys."

Kerry started laughing her cute laugh and high fived me.

"Here you go," the waiter comes back with three bottles of orange amazingness, and three slices of tiramisu.

"Thank you."

"It'll be fifteen dollars." I gave him a twenty dollar bill.

"Keep the bill."

"Thank you," he gently nods and walks away.

We talked for two hours at least, and then Kerry had to leave…she left me with Torres… Oh jesus.

"So…" Torres began, again.

"So…"

"I hope you will not get reaped." The loudspeaker cracks on.

"_All citizens of District 1 between the ages of twelve and eighteen need to be present at the square in ten minutes,"_ Our escort screeches.

Torres stands up and extends his hand. "Come on, fair lady."

I stand up without his help. He starts to walk, but I stay.

"Do you feel love towards me?"

Very smooth Daphine, very smooth.

_Daphine Ryte_

The square is packed with children. I see some familiar faces. Some angry, some worried, some annoyed or just plain bored.

You've just two more years Day, just two more years and you are free of the games, hopefully.

I send Polly to the section where the ten years old are, and I make my way to the seventeens. I worry, I have a bad feeling, and I do not even want to think about _that_.

Torres, the boy whom I'm confused about waits for me, because I do not happen let Polly go the whole time. In fact, I was still by Polly's section.

"Day, Day, let me go please?" His voice comes to me, bringing reality black. I let him go.

"Sorry, take care," I tell him.

Even though I dislike him, I do not want Polly to get hurt.

"Come on Daphine, let's take our seats," Torres says as he smiles at me.

Just like nothing happened; like I haven't blurted out a vague question that also held maybe my feelings towards him.

We take our seats and Rosse, our Escort walks on the stage.

Rosse has his spiky, deep purple hair and pink eyes as always, with dark shoes and some really old fashioned purple pants, with a purple shirt and a purple jacket. His spider, something called, is in its hair.

The thing's voice is even unidentifiable as male or female, only that it is like a bat screeching sometimes.

"Good morning District 1! I could talk about the weather and the importance of today, but we both know you and I do not care about that. So anyways, since it is the fourth Quarter Quell, you know, there is a twist. The twist is," she looks at the yellow card labeled '100', "In the honour of the fourth Quarter Quell, the tributes friends, family, and other acquaintances also will be the part of the Games, as a prize," a dramatic silence, "The female tribute this year is Daphine Ryte!"

Yeah right.

No?

Oh fuck.

Fuck!

Think, think! There is Torres, Kerry, Polly, dad and mom…or more? I don't know! My brain is dead!

Anyway, I have to go up. My legs feel like jello, my heart feels dead, my head is spinning, but I will not give the impression of a pathetic little girl. No. Not this girl.

I walk up the stage, shake Rosse's hand, she or he congratulates me, and the only thing I can think of is _Why isn't there anyone who volunteers for me?_

_Jem Stunt_

Being a lone child, I walk to my section. I see Bella and Paublo somewhere in front of me, and Karlo in the eighteens' section.

Take your seat and feel nervous as always. Well, I do not feel nervous, just bad, and I do not feel sick, that's good.

Rosse announces the twist this year. Using our friends in the games. Damned will be the tributes.

"Daphine Ryte!" The girl tribute. As if she is emotionless. Her black hair not moving, still body, like she's a robot. She stands there and stares. Stares at the children, as if asking _'Why don't anyone volunteer for me?'_ which is strange, since this is a Career district, why doesn't anyone volunteer for her?

But, she is strong nonetheless.

"The male tribute is Karlo Suul!"

Damned tha…wait.

My dear friend goes up the stage, looking horrible, like he would faint anytime.

Getting your best friend reaped, giving you an unexpected blow to the guts. Check.

And then, he looks at me, right into my eyes. Dead into my eyes. That look from a pray into its hunter's eyes.

Those large dark blue eyes, clouding in. That makes my feel horrible, maybe even suicidal.

Karlo. He has two brothers and a sister. He has a lot of friends, but Bella and I are his besties. He has his diabetic mother and hard working father.

Jem. Single child. Weak father, mentally strong mother. Bella and Karlo, possibly Paublo. Trains every day.

The odds are stacked.

I stand up and walk up the stage, not using the stairs, but jumping on the stage.

"Jem?" He whispers.

"No time for regrets," I tell him, and then look at Rosse. "Guess who's your new male tribute?"

_Daphine Ryte_

I never really liked the Justice Building. It is big and ominous, gives me the creeps. Anyways, the thought that I'll be in the Games is much, _much_ worse.

First my mom comes in, her eyes red of crying.

"Oh Day…why?" She says just these words and starts crying.

"Mom, mom I'll be alright. I'd worry about you and Polly, you two will be in the Games too."

"And Dad," he says.

I resist the temptation to say something about my dad.

"He can take care of himself."

"That, that is true," she admits.

The rest of her stay was filled with sobs and worries, and with some things I did when I was a kid.

After my mom, came my father.

The father that ignore Polly and I throughout our lives. He worked and bought things we liked and wanted, but then, he wasn't there for us, as a father. He was more like a sponsor for a tribute, than a father for his daughter.

Of course he says the obvious career father lines.

"I'm proud of you," he says, and it angers me. He is proud of me? Now? When I'm sent to my death? "Not because you were reaped. No, but achievements in life. Look at you; you've grown up to be a beautiful lady. All the boys would kill to be your lover; all the girls would kill to have your looks."

I listen to him. Silently, I listen to him, thinking about a lot of things.

"Then where were you? Where were you in my life? In your son's life? Where? Why were you just so ignorant? Polly almost cut his finger off, you didn't say anything!"

"Why? Did I have to? I told him not to play with the knife, and he played with it! Besides, nothing happened to him!"

"When mother was sick?"

"Who do you think bought the medicine? Who do you think looked over her at night?"

We've been going back and forth, yelling at each other, uncovering the truth, little by little, and the time of leaving draws near.

"Look, I'm terribly sorry for how I was behaving…there are things…things that you cannot understand."

"I'm seventeen goddamit! I'm a grownup almost, I understand most things! You just don't want me to know…Am I right?"

"Daphine," he says, and wants to hug me.

"I hate you. You were never by my side…physically." I hug him. Maybe even for the last time, but I still didn't forgive him.

The Peacekeepers come, and my father leaves.

Kerry and Torres come in.

She doesn't say anything for a time, just stares at the window, and the pictures of tributes on the wall.

"By tomorrow, my picture will be there," I say.

"I know," Torres says. "With Jem. So many strategies you could play; the sad lover, the lover in the Games, the evil witch, the pretty witch…heck you might even with the Games."

"Heh, for the lover, I need to have a boyfriend," suggestive sentence.

"Day, just come back…please," Kerry finally speaks and then leaves in a hurry.

Torres walks to me, and looks deeply into my eyes. "Yes."

Yes? Yes what? There are so many things that _'Yes'_ but I connect it with one simple question.

'_Do you feel love towards me?'_

He looks into my eyes, and kisses my nose.

"Yes, I do feel love towards you."

Oh the hell. I grab his shoulders and kiss him, a long one.

I live only once, and now I'm sent to the Games. There's a good chance I won't come back alive, so let's make my last minutes with my friend memorable.

Kissing Torres _is_ memorable.

_Jem Stunt_

Going into the Hunger Games sure wasn't on my list of things to do, but since no one volunteered for Karlo, I did. Thinking logically, he would endanger more lives if he'd be in the Games, but me…well, my parents and my two friends. That's four. He has his parents, two brothers and a sister, and a lot of friends.

I don't know maybe they won't even get in the Games.

The large doors open, and my parents come in.

My mom, shielding her emotions comes in and hugs me for a long time.

"You're heart is what sets you apart from other people," she says. "Remember that."

"Oh Jem…I never thought this would happen, but I feared the moment when your name will be said on the stage…but, I knew that you are lucky enough for being chosen. You got your mother's heart. I had the feeling that you will volunteer for someone."

"Mom, dad, I've been putting money apart to buy something for your anniversary. Do not dare to spend it on anything else. Go on a vacation or something, because you deserve it."

"You are such an idiot," dad admits the obvious.

The rest of the time was spent in mourning silence, like I already died.

After my parents, Bella came, or ran at me.

"You motherfucker!" She says and starts crying. "Why did you volunteer?"

"Why, you want Karlo to be in the Games?" I ask her with a plain voice.

"No! But why didn't you wait for someone else to volunteer?"

"No one wanted to volunteer for him…that is why I did."

She starts pounding my chest.

"Besides, Karlo is much more danger than I am. He has a large family and a lot of friends. I only have you two and my parents."

"Shut up! Why can't you show at least a little emotion?"

"You want me to bawl my eyes out and breakdown?"

"Yes! Or at least stop the emotionlessness!" I pet her head.

"It's okay honey…it's just a week or so, and then I'll be back."

"You better be or else I swear I'll…I'll…Goddamit I detest your very existence!"

That is typical of Bella. Only cares about her friends, and when she has strong emotions inside, she cannot think complex things, as shown she forgot about Karlo being reaped, and the twist in the Games.

"Go on beloved one," I tell her when the Peacekeeper's knock on the door.

"Kill someone at least…please?"

You cannot not like her…

"I will, I will. One last thing, I never thought you'd dare Karlo to do that."

"That?" She looks at me.

"Calling me and telling me that he loves me."

As if I wouldn't have been repead, she starts smiling from ear to ear.

"Yees," she starts to jump up and down, squealing.

"Bella, why did you dared him?"

"Mmmhmm…you'll see," she says smiling and leaves.

That is exactly what I was talking about, short memory!

My last visitor, not surprising me, is Karlo.

He walks in like he has done a capital crime.

Why was Bella so happy? Was that…no…but then, Karlo doesn't lie. Does he?

"Thank you," that's the only thing he says, not looking up, and he puts a little rectangular something into my shirt pocket.

"You're welcome, I guess…" Why does it feel like I'm on a funeral?

"I know why you volunteered for me," he says, and makes me wonder what he thinks. "I'd danger more people than you…then again, you are too kind to let your friends get hurt."

"Karlo," I began. "What did Bella say to you?"

He starts to stare down again. "Well…she dared me to tell you I love you."

"She said other than that."

He blushes. "I told her about my feelings. She dared me to tell you. She was surprised about them, and she said _'Ha, I dare you to tell him'_ and I thought she was serious. Turned out she was joking. I got anxious and bended the truth…"

"So you do love me. Oh man…I don't know what to do! It's like…I don't know…many girls to be my girlfriends…but I didn't feel that special thing. Here comes my best friend, saying that he loves me…and…gosh. I mean, if it is love, then show or prove, my mom used to say, but," Karlo has a tendency to do what he hears, no matter if it is an order or just a matter of talking.

He kissed me.

I don't know how long it was, maybe it was just short or maybe it was long. I don't know!

I never really kissed anyone, nor has anyone kissed me. I wanted my first kiss to be special, but…well…I guess this is special. I'm off to the Games, and my best guy friend kisses me.

Next thing I notice is that Karlo starts to ramble on and on about how he did the worst possible thing in life, how I now hate him, and how he should just die.

I don't know if this is right to say, but I think he kisses good. I mean, this is my first kiss, I think he kisses good.

"Karlo, Karlo," I grab his shoulder and turn him around. I never saw him crying; guess it is never too late. Karlo is the last person I can imagine crying, and now, he is. "Karlo, I do not hate you. I don't detest you, want you to die or anything." He starts to calm down, and he was now only having trouble breathing.

"But I kissed you!"

"So?"

"A guy kissed you!"

"And the problem is? Look, how I look at it, is that love is not only guy girl. If a girl likes a girl, or a guy likes a guy, so what? That is life, their life. No one should judge them, or be mean to them just for who they are. Not like I wasn't very surprised by your kiss…but I do not hate you. I just do not know what to say."

"You are talking endless."

"You know what I mean."

"Yes, yes I do. Come on, gimme a hug," I say as I pull him into a bear hug. He starts to sob again. "Calm down Karlo, don't start crying." I never noticed how muscular he actually is. I never saw him in the gym, or showing his biceps to girls, but I swear, a week ago I thought he'd die in the Games in a secound. Now I firmly believed that he'd have a better chance of surviving than me. "Karlo?"

"Hm?"

"I tell you about my feelings when I come back, okay?" He nods, and he is not even crying. "For now, I love you like a brother I never head."


	3. Her Brother's Friend

_Cade Asher_

Would you look at that, the sun is rising, bringing its yellow arms over houses. I wonder how I could use its power for myself. Maybe cover a building with light reflecting paper? Or use mirrors and burn clothing? So many possibilities, yet so little time…

I wonder what Haze has in mind. He is the smarter one…book smart-vise. He has a little sister, Marionette. She and Haze are like a cat and a dog. Marionette claims to hate Haze, but even the blind can see that the two care for each other.

Anyway, it is Reaping day, the one day that everyone watches with eager eyes and all the important people are there; namely the Escort and all the kids that can be the highlights of the Hunger Games. I'm so excited; I wonder who will be damned in the Games.

My door particularly breaks in, and I notice I am still in my pajamas.

Haze Wintre, the intruder and my bro steps into my room.

"Excuse you?" I jump from my bed. "Privacy?"

"With a friend like me, you have no 'privacy.'"

"I want to change into my regular clothing," I tell him.

"You've got nothing to be ashamed, but whatever," he says and he shrugs, his curly black hair bouncing, and leaves the room and closed the door.

I was exaggerating about my door exploding; it is fine, but sounded like an explosion.

Black jeans, a dark shirt and sneakers, you know, the usual outfit for a hot mess like myself.

Tara, my lovely older sister is gone to her work, as a librarian. I swear that job fits her; she is calm as a dead cow. The good thing is that she always gets me a book or something fun. She let her silky dark hair grow to her thighs, and sometimes she makes a scarf out of her hair.

My younger sister, Jewel, she's only thirteen, and she likes anything valuable and shining. She even stole my mom's diamond bracelet, but that little waste of skin got away just by smiling sweetly! And when I lost my shirt, don't ask why, I got a good old beating. I don't hate her, it is just…she is copying my awesomeness.

Haze waits by the door with two papers.

"Okay, so what do you want to do?" He shakes his right hand. "Sabotage the weekly meat package to the supermarket, or," he shakes his left hand, "prank Mr. Deluge."

Mr. Deluge is one of the richest old farts in District Two, a perfect target.

"I don't know, something different now? Since it is the Reapings."

"You and your 'something different now.' Jesus christ. Come on."

He walks down the stairs and I follow him. There is a note on the fridge from mom, saying that Jewel is with Tara, and she is away for today.

Great, and what if I get reaped?

We walk to the square, the place where the Reapings will happen. People are working diligently on it, and our District Escort, Hannah, is screaming at the workers about symmetry and order. Sheesh, how come someone didn't cut her neck yet?

And then it hit me. The perfect prank.

Sabotage the Hunger Games. Or not, that is too big, I don't want to loose my head in it, let's just make it the Reapings.

The stage exploding? No, too much work. Make it collapsing, and that would be fun.

Haze stopped by a shop. "Yo Haze," I tapped his shoulder.

"What?" He is watching a game console worth three hundred dollars.

"What if we'd sabotage the Reapings?" He slams his hand on my mouth.

"Ssh! Stupid, don't say that loud."

I lick his hand. So what if people hear it? I don't care. As a response, he pets my cheek and rubbed his hand on my shirt.

"I'm listening."

So I tell him my plan. It is really nothing special, just steal some that, do some this et voila, we got a really good prank on our hands. We just need to buy the materials.

Haze gets the materials as I hang around a cinema. Since I got the plan, he buys the necessities.

The cinema is playing some droopy romantic movie with some fags, what is it called? Midnight? Moonlight? Something with the –light prefix, the third episode or something.

My girlfriend wants me to go with her, Alize, that's her name I believe. She is nothing special, not at least for me.

She is bubbly, chatty, can't shut up and loves them stupid romantic movies that are not a bit like real life.

The lights fade, and the movie starts.

I yawn after five minutes of the movie.

"Ssh!" Alize squirms. "This is the best part!" She says and then squeals when this guy takes of his shirt.

"Kill me now…"

What the movie was about for me is this, there is this slutty girl who loves this fag guy who sparkles in the sunlight, but she also wants to sleep with this nudist guy transforming into a hairy wolf. So then there are the vampires who dislike the sparkly one, and want to kill him, and there are the other wolf nudists and all the time the girl doesn't do anything but crap. Then at the end, the vampire doesn't want to do her. Oh, and I got a rich girl's necklace, earrings, and bracelets. That would be a good way to get money.

"Oh my god! This was the best movie ever! All the action and romance, and the guys…aaah! I wish the werewolf was my boyfriend…"

"Hey Alize, I have something important to tell you," I begin with my charming voice.

"Yees?" She turns around.

"It's over." And I walked away.

That was a great feeling if you ask me. Dumping a rich girl, and she didn't even notice her material losses. Stupid stupid blonde.

I meet up at lunch with Haze and prepare for our prank. It will be enormous and the best, believe me.

_Marionette Wintre_

There is an unspoken rule of life that the siblings have to hate each other. Haze and I are no exceptions.

We've been teasing each other since the start of eternity. Not being mean, just teasing. I never really hated him, just enjoyed teasing him.

Pull his curly hair, switch his shampoo with toothpaste, sew his clothes together, maybe ruin his computer and homework, but nothing major or anything, at least I hope.

Not like he wasn't mean to me.

People told us that we were like a cat and a dog. It is true though.

We are fighting, but from time to time, we are kind to each other.

Like now.

I love playing thief, but of course, I don't only play it. If I need something, I take it. It is ten dollars now, from my brother's room.

Peace of cake. He always locks his door, but with a credit card, it is easy to open it. He is a deep sleeper, so the danger of him waking up is pretty low, but do not underestimate your enemy, even if he is your brother.

Haze is pathetic and amazing at the same time, but I try to have our relationship like cats and dogs. He has golden brown, curly sheep hair and hazy brown eyes, with boyish features. I resist the temptation to do something to him while he's sleeping.

Focus on your goal.

He left fifteen dollars on his desk.

"Thank you," I say quietly and take ten bucks.

"You're welcome," he says between snorts.

What time is it? I look at his wall clock. Nine in the morning.

I quickly take a shower and dress in my usual clothing. Something nice, something comfy, but not too fancy and take a walk.

Haze has his birthday three days from now, and I found this really cool leather jacket for a hundred bucks, and Haze likes it too, so I thought _'What the hell, I'll buy it for him,'_ so now I'm going to buy it. I hope he'll like it, because this may be the last time I buy him something so pricey, but you don't turn eighteen every day.

I walk downstairs and find my dad making a sandwich for himself.

My mom died at childbirth, the doctor's fault. She used the wrong liquid and ruined my mom's internal system. My father though, believes it is all my fault. He is all fine and all, but sometimes he has this all-your-fault times and I usually just sleep at Serena.

"Good morning dad," I greet him and hope he had a good night's sleep.

"Good morning honey," he says smiling and he hugs me. "Want some breakfast?"

"Yeah, thanks." I go and make myself some cereal. So far so good.

"Do you know what to get for Haze?" He asks.

"I'm getting him a jacket that he wants."

"From your money? Wow, that is kind of you."

"Well, you know, he _is_ my brother."

We had a nice talk after that, nothing going wrong.

Serena, my natural red head blonde, is my best friend. I knew her since we were five, when she fell of a tree, but nothing happened fortunately.

I walk to the shop with that jacket, Capitol Fashion for Gents, not a really well known shop as it looks like, but it has some fine material in it.

"Good morning," the saleswoman smiles at me. "Can I help you?"

"Hey, uhm, no thanks, I got this." Okay, so I have the money, I know Haze's jacket size, basically everything I'd need to know to buy a jacket.

Just one thing.

It's not here.

It's not on the Paris doll, or the rack, I cannot find it.

"Are you sure you do not need help?" She asks.

I sigh as I give up. "I'm looking for a leather jacket, worth a hundred dollars? It was on that mannequin just two days ago."

"Oh, Charlie Brown?"

"What?"

"That is the nickname of the jacket. It is limited to twenty pieces. We were lucky to get two. One was bought by a gentleman for his father, and the last one is kept safe and clean."

I slam the money on the table. "I want that." I just hope it is XL, the right size.

"It is extra large, if it is good for you." Victory is mine!

"I'll take it."

I go to Serena until the Reapings start.

She is a lovely person, a little too blond inside, but she would give her life for people she likes. I tell her about my morning, my father and my jacket.

She has a baby brother, and he is adorable!

"Hey Serena, is your brother sleeping?"

"No, no he's not. Why ask?"

"Can we dress him up?"

Serena's brother, Malik is three years old, and loves being dressed. He is actually quite girly. He has long baggy light hair that curls into inward hooks by his neck. He has glinting brown eyes and a never fading smile on his face.

Though he can be a bit moody sometimes.

"Hey Mayonette," he says. He has a problem with the 'r' sound.

"Hey Malik," I pet his head. "Ready for a makeover?"

He starts to jump up and down. Malik can get really excited for the randomest reasons.

We do his hair, his nails, make up and everything, but not too much, just barely. I feel kind of guilty, dressing a guy in a girl's dress, but he enjoys it, I enjoy it, what's the matter than?

When we are finished, Malik is in a white fluffy dress with blue contacts and light blue nails, with minimal glitter on his skin. He spins.

"I'm an angle! I'm an angle!" He sing-songs.

"Angel Malik, angel. Not angle," I correct him.

"Oh whateveh," he pouts.

I smile at him. "Let's get ourselves ready."

_Marionette Wintre_

Having friends with bonuses is good. Serena has the most beautiful dresses in all of District 2, and I am not over-exaggerating. She has a very good sense of style, and she can work magic with make-up.

"So Mrs. Wintre, what do you wish to wear?" She asks me.

"Oh I do not know Mrs. Gomez," I answer.

"A long white dress maybe?"

"That is too cliché, milady."

"Then surprise me, of Goddess of Beauty."

Surprise it was; a knee low cashmere red dress and darker red high heels. She made my hair wavy and pulled it up into a bun with two pins crossing each other. She applied minimal makeup, some manicure and pedicure, and I was ready.

She was dressed in a pale purple dress with darker make up. She looked gothic, and knowing her, it didn't really suit her. But, she was beautiful nonetheless.

We take the quick and fun way to the square, and that is skateboard.

I'm getting good at it, well, let's say I do not fall, but Serena…she is a natural! She is zooming about, doing tricks, not falling, all in heels!

Hehe, we are a lovely sight. Girls ready for prom on skateboards.

Anyways. We take our seats and wait for about five, six minutes until the Reapings start.

I quickly and easily locate my brother and Cade.

"Well hello District 2," Hanna greets us. I have nothing against her. She is a bit OCD about being perfect, but that is normal. "This year's twist is this. In the honour of the fourth Quarter Quell, the tributes friends, family, and other acquaintances also will be the part of the Games, as a prize. Without further ado, the female tribute is Marionette Wintre!"

I'm sorry what? I zoned out.

"Mari, Mari you are Reaped," Serena nudges me, not so happy.

"Sorry, what? I seem to have loss of focus." I start to speak like this when I know something bad happens.

"You are Reaped," she emphasizes each and every word.

Bitch please.

Then Hanna makes an absurd eye connection with me. Absurd because how would she know where I sit?

Then it turns out that people just…disappeared around me, so it is only Serena and me inside a large circle of empty chairs.

My legs tremble as I make my way to the stage, holding onto chairs so I will not faint.

There is only one thing I can think of. Okay, maybe two. Or three.

But in order they are.

I haven't given Haze his present.

Thank god it was not Serena.

All the girls are acting so hot, why aren't they volunteering for me then?

I walk up the stage, starting to think about the games, the years of insane training coming back. Aim for the heart, the head. How to make people suffer and scream, enjoying the sound of their whining. That joy…

_Cade Asher_

To my discontent, I've found out that the Capitol workers use the cheapest materials to work. They used wood to make the stage, and covered with some D rank, dark covering material. They even worked sloppy! I believe that my work is not needed here to sabotage the Reapings.

I nod at Haze, a sign to start the disruption. I just need a secound to get under the stage and cut the wooden plank with my saw.

Haze is wearing a mask, so the people will not know it was him who did the prank, and will not get punished.

"Hey scumbags!" Haze yells at them, and all the workers and Hanna looks at him. "Yeah you, you ugly ones! My grandfather can make a better job…and he's dead!"

"What are you doing here?" Hanna shrieks at him, and I disappear under the stage.

"I want to play a game…" I saw to myself as I grin mischievously and start to cut the beams. I don't really need to fully cut them, just four fifths. Gravity will do the rest. I hear people running towards the stage, and I freeze what if they run on the stage? I'll be crushed! Fortunately, the steps quickly moved towards another direction.

After finishing the beams, I walked away, but made sure that Haze saw me.

He then threw a smoke bomb and disappeared. Just like a professional ninja.

Returning to our site of evil…it feels me with joy.

Haze and I are among the first one to go to the square. Being good little lads, we greet Hanna, who is dressed in white skin tight pants and a black shirt, with black shoes. She has white hair, so she looks like a black-and-white monster would've puked on her.

She smiles back at us, and takes a closer look at Haze.

"Haven't I seen you before young man?"

"Me?" Haze asks with his normal voice, but then he changed it to a deeper one. "Me? No. Definitely not."

"But I'm sure I did see you somewhere."

Oh hell to the no.

"I remember," she snaps her fingers. "You were the boy who asked the price for the leather jacket a week ago."

"Really, that's right. Wow, small world, don't you think?" And of course Haze starts to flirt right now.

We take our seats and I elbow jab him.

"Why did I get that?"

"Why, can't I jab my friends for fun?"

"No, not really."

Over time more people come, and in less than an hour.

The escort comes in a rather normal appearance. Greets and us damns the family and friends of the tributes.

I never thought I'd be one of them to be doomed.

Marionette walks up the stage, emotions changing from depressed to maniac, and once she is on stage, she is grinning like a psychopath.

"The male tribute is Haze Wintre!"

Lovely, two siblings…wait a secound.

I grab Haze and push him down, using the momentum to jump on the chair and run on them. Well, running on people's shoulders, not really on chairs.

"Cade Asher," I announce the new male tribute as I land on the stage not-so-gently.

_Crack crack crack!_

The stage collapses under us, causing screams.

_Marionette Wintre_

Mari Mari, crazy Mari, going around killing babies.

Mari Mari, crazy Mari, going around killing babies.

Do you like the song? I just made it up.

I'm getting used to the idea of being Reaped, sent into an arena to end people's lives. And I start to like it. How am I ever gonna use my skills of fighting, if I'm not in the Games?

My brother got reaped and then his friend Haze volunteered, and then the stage collapsed.

With collapsed I mean like it cracked and exploded inwardly in large noises.

I was caught surprised, and I enjoyed the rush of adrenaline, but the fall wasn't anything like falling off from the roof of our house, which I've done once.

December, snowing like crazy. I went up the roof, oh by the way, I was nine. So I went up the roof so I could reach for the stars, but then I failed and fell. Luckily I didn't break a bone, since I fell on snow.

No one's hurt, and looks like only I screamed. The whole thing wasn't anything so major if I think about it. The stage was only about three feet tall. Even falling on your back you wouldn't get damaged.

Cade helps me out.

"What happened?"

"The obvious." I look at him, knowing it was him who did it.

Hanna reaches earth and started yelling at people, mostly the workers who are not here yet. Then she sent us to the Justice Building.

_Cade Asher_

Hell yeah! The plan worked perfectly! Well, except the part of Haze getting reaped and I volunteering for him. Which sucks.

Then again, there is Marionette, who is pretty badass, besides the fact that she is not good with pranks.

Once she tried to make a minor prank, if I remember right, electrocute the teacher when she grabs the metal door knob, but she ended up shocking herself. She got in big trouble and I bailed her out. Ever since then I always mention it around her.

I believe that we did a good job with the stage. We maximized its capabilities, made the best thing we could do. Now I only hope we will not get in trouble.

"What happened?" I play the innocent part as I help Marionette up.

"The obvious," she says looking seriously into my eye.

After a long time of screaming and yelling, Hanna escorts us to the Justice Building, saying how we have shortened periods to talk to our friends since the prank and all. Lovely.

_Marionette Wintre_

Well know, to sum the goodbies up, father didn't come which is no surprise. He probably fainted or something.

Then my grandma came. She is delusional, cuckoo, crazy, maybe a bit too insane she got two of her children lost in the games. She talks endless about random things like recipes and childhood memories, videos, the Hunger Games and places with flowers. It all seems random for a sane person, but who says I'm sane?

I'm not kidding when I say that when you are going mad, you start to see the word in a different view. That is, even when talking. I managed to piece together what she was _really_ meant to say before the Peacekeepers dragged her away. She gave me a locket to me that was my mom's.

She was trying to help me.

Anyways, then came Serena and she was pretty depressed, she was sobbing sometimes, but at the end she hugged me and left.

My brother was next, and only one thing was on my mind.

"Haze, I bought you that jacket you wanted, you know, the leather. It is in my room, in my closet. Hope you like it," I say smiling and he just shakes his head.

"You are an idiot. I knew you were in my room, and I knew you will buy that jacket. Thanks. But that is not the thing! Damn it, you are reaped! And there is a chance I won't see you."

"But there is a chance that you will."

"Let's go with the first one. Sorry I was annoying you at times."

"I'm sorry that I was making you go crazy." He hugs me. Oh, when was the last time he hugged me? I don't know, a very long time for sure. I can't help it, I start to cry.

Cry to my older brother.

_Cade Asher_

Out of the whole Reaping day, I hate the goodbies the most. I just hate them, without reason. Well, maybe since you see your friends all depressed, and that is the last image you'll have when you go the games. Your friends crumpled and depressed.

I imagine mom coming in, crying her eyes out, but she doesn't. She and dad are away, and just as I thought in the morning, they won't be here to say their goodbies.

Instead Haze comes in, and does the obvious, thanks me to volunteer him.

One ought to think about his choices, volunteering. Maybe he had a better chance of volunteering than me.

"Why did you volunteer for me?" He demands an answer, a bit angered.

"The obvious," I use Marionette's answer.

"Idiot. If you let me, less people would be in the games. Ah, stupid." He flicks my forehead.

Typical of him. Just looking at the big picture, not the individuals.

He spends the rest just talking about the Games, all the tricks and traps, and the allies, mostly allies.

Now that I think of it. Where's Dan?

Dan West, my other little notorious person. He was the more evil one, the one who actually makes thing dangerous. He was the fun one. His dark eyes always filled with excitement, and his brain always working. He usually just scratches his head while thinking.

Why isn't he here?

Oh hell! I remember know, he got an accident. Shit!

He got into a car accident and he's in a pretty bad situation…Jesus…

What will happen now? In the Games, where even he'll be used?


	4. The Brains and Hearts

_Binar Krein_

People say knowledge is power. Others say power corrupts. So, put the two together, if you are smart then you are corrupt. I am both.

Working, tinkering, creating is what I do when I have a problem. And I do have a problem now.

My faithful and creative friend, Arcad is assisting me with my project.

I use my laptop to hack into computers, one by one, getting well needed information for us. For example, test scores and questions, changing grades, money matters, or classified information that could be used against people.

"I don't get it!" I give up my tries frustrated.

"What is it?" Arcad asks has he looks up from my book and fixes his glasses.

"It is impossible to hack into Beetee's CPO. I tried everything I have, but no, his firewall is gone, Norex is gone, but his self-made anti-hack virus cleaner program is not budging!"

"Did you ever try to ask him for the information needed?"

"Never! Me and my brain shall not surrender!"

Arcad stands up, walks next to me and puts his hand on my head. He looks at the monitor, sighs and ruffles my brown hair, then starts to play with my curls.

He does that when he is thinking. I bet he'll become the next Einstein or something. When it is about solving problems the creative way, he will solve it the insane way. He is a bit loony, but it suits him.

As he twirls my hair, I can almost hear his brain working.

"So. He is online, no?"

"He is."

"Okay then, send him a message with an attachment for a … something, then send another message saying it was a wrong attachment, don't open it, and have some hacks on the secound mail."

Beetee's face appears on a new window. He has spiked up dark brown hair and white glasses with a swirl on each side, not allowing us to see his eyes.

_"Nah-ah-ah,"_ he waves his pointing finger at us, _"didn't your mother tell you not to hack a victor's computer?"_

"I told him to ask you," Arcad tried to save his neck.

_"I know you did Arcad, that is why you tried to heck my computer too, right?"_

"Oh smuts."

"_Next time, I'll tell your parents,"_ Beetee warns and the window disappears.

"I told you so," Arcad sings along as he hops out of my room.

"Fumble-nuggets and shipwreckers." I sigh as I give up permanently. "Wait up!"

My mom, Data, is a hardworking lady. She's a teacher in a well known university and an inventor on the side. She was working with my dad until he got a heart attack and passed away. If Beetee tells her about me trying to hack his computer, she'll deliver the worst of all rage, the Mother's Rage…and believe me, with a super-smart mom, you do not want to get in trouble.

Tect, my older brother, is my role model. He is an introvert person, really anti-social, private, insecure and critical. He always acts cautiously, since once he almost blew the house apart, but thanks to his brain and mine, we saved the house. He has my dad's shoulder length auburn hair and his cheekbones. I'd like him just a tad better if he'd be a bit more open, but oh well. I do not know what goes on in his head.

Arcad is not the only friend I have, Gott sei Dank. There is Conduc, this lanky guy who is quite…loud, compared to Arcad and me. He can be cruel to people he doesn't like, just like my brother. He is also a very straightforward, logical thinker, and he doesn't mind what people think about him. He is an evil mastermind with a good humor, but when he starts to make jokes about killing people he detests, it is not funny, because he electrocuted this one kid at school, but he survived.

Then again, since it is Reaping day, things will be ever more fun.

We walk to Conduc's house to walk get him to the Reaping with us.

"What do you want to do after the Reapings?" I ask Arcad as I ring the bell.

"Watch a movie? I heard that there is a good movie showing," he says and the door opens. It is Mrs. Munton , Conduc's mom.

"Hey lil' munchkins," she greets as she usually does.

"Hey Mrs. Munton, is Conduc home?"

"Yes, yes he is but he is taking a shower."

"Can we come in?"

"Sure," she says and lets us in. "Do you want some cookies or tea?"

"Could I have some tea?" I ask her. She makes the best tea in District 3.

Arcad, without words and not surprising me, trudged upstairs and right into the bathroom, creating a not-so-manly shriek from Conduc.

"Motherfucker!" Conduc screams as Arcad runs down the stairs, followed by a flying shampoo bottle. I hear the disturbed one walking back to the bathroom, but then he slipped and hit his head. "This is all your fault Arcad!"

Minutes later, naked Conduc with a towel around his waist came down.

Yep, that right there I envy of him.

To be successful in life you have to be smart _and_ good looking. Well, I am smart but not good looking, it is Conduc with the physical greatness.

"Mom, where's my shirt?"

"Secound drawer from the left under your bed," his mom answered from the kitchen, and in no time, a dandy Conduc walked down the stairs and we went to the Reapings.

_Finley Autumn_

Great. I still really dislike that, even though it happened years ago. Not like District 3 is not is not good or anything, it's just…I miss the sea. But I've friends. There is that cuckoo guy, Sandellius and his friend Ydrox. First they were really…interesting, but then I got used to them, and now I pretty much think they are my saviors.

Sandellius Tytanem, believe it or not, has roots in District 5. I mean his name Tytanem, sounds awfully like tetanus and….yeah. He is also a bit loony, or a bit too loony, but not the bad way, not like he is retarded, but, he sees the world in a different way. Maybe he is not crazy at all, just people call him. He sees opportunities, and alternate usage of everyday items. People see him crazy, maybe, only maybe, because his eyes are golden.

Ydrox is really tomboyish. She has nothing girly inside her, nothing, well, beside that she likes boys. Other than that, nothing. The other funny thing is that she doesn't look like a District 3 person. She has sandy brown hair and sea green eyes, and she doesn't have anything to do with District 4, beside the fact that her mother buys clothing for special events from this my friend's sister.

Gee, I miss her. Carolie and her amazing family. We were playing around all the time, and then my dad says we have to move to District 3, and yay we had only week to say our goodbyes, and for the love of god, he didn't allow me to say goodbye to Carolie! Of course I hated his guts, but then we have instant message and video phones, so I talk to her a lot.

Anyways, when I got here, I wondered why District 3's Reapings is after the sun sets. Now I understand why. All the lights get turned on any occasion, and on Reapings, it is a grand light show. My dress also goes with it…it is a black dress with neon green lines and a neon bow under by chest. I _do_ look ravishing in it.

I also enjoy all this electric stuff, which is not a combination with my love of water. Some of the guys are really kind and they help me a lot, and I appreciate it.

"Hey Finny! Are we fencing or wondering?" Sand asks as he nods at me. I thought him how to fence in exchange for him allowing me to mess around in his electric room.

His family is a major electric family, really important and stuff. They have this room that is channeling energy twenty-four seven, and everything is electrified. Kind of dangerous, but very cool. Also, he has this thi-woah!

"Sand, I wasn't paying attention!" He almost poked me! Well, not like that's bad, but in fencing it is.

"When you get Reaped, people will allow you to wait."

Oh yeah, kind of forgot about him. He won the previous games, though not in a very brave way. He basically used his surroundings to destroy everyone. But he still one.

"As if I get Reaped," I strike and he evades.

We do this a lot, talking and fencing.

Ydrox is here too, but she is too absorbed in her little iPad touch thing…which is actually really cool, but…whatever.

After fencing, we, or at least I take a shower.

It still sends a shiver up my spine, when I showed with closed eyes. It reminds me too much of the water around me, the depths…the deep secrets oceans and seas hold.

Fencing kind of stuck to me from District 4. Fencing was different of course, we used marlins instead of professional fencing material, but it was twice the fun. You see, my mom is kind of paranoid since her brother got Reaped into the Games, and she wants to make sure that Pulse and I are both prepared.

Pulse is my little brother. Not little, he is only two years younger then me, but not young enough to be safe from the Games. Not like he will get Reaped. I heard about some rumors that the Games are manipulated. That the Gamemakers choose the names, and everything all that unfair…that they observe everyone in the districts and hand pick the players. That they manipulate everyone…I don't know, it was on this major rumor site, Unknown Dimensions or something.

Still, the idea is pretty, I cannot find the word. Depressing and angering, also gives the feeling of suicide and all that negativity.

But what the hell who cares.

Even if I get Reaped…please, that won't happen.

But if it does, than mom's time in training wasn't for nothing.

I got pretty good with swords and daggers, but not really throwing them. I'm also pretty much fast and stealthy for no reason, and swimming is not a problem, so if I get into an arena like I the third Quarter Quell, I'd be winning while laughing, or however American people say that.

Though Dad would be sad, and mom would go insane, and Pulse would be depressed, additionaly my friends would go bananas and Ydrox would volunteer for me, as she said. She says that every year. _I will volunteer for you Finley, I will volunteer for you._

Like she will survive.

Like I will survive.

"Finley, you really should stop thinking and doing your personal narrative of your life and pay attention," Ydrox said smiling, her yellow eyes dancing under her grey curly hair.

"Okay okay, geesh. You're worse than mom…"

_Binar Krein_

Silly me, I forgot that the Reapings are at night. I always forget it, but Cunduc and Arcad? That surprised me.

Anyways, we went home and did the usual. Hacking into computers and crashing sites, softwares.

I tried to hack into Beete's cpo, but I failed, again, this time he didn't notice. He was a at a meeting, hopefully. Or he was talking to my mom,abou me hacking to his computer. One of the two.

So I was hacking into the Capitol computers. Really easy.

They should hire Beetee or me to get their computers protected by people like…me.

"Would you look at that," I say, "there are a hundreds of sites about the Games."

Conduc looked over my shoulder. "That is no surprise. It's the Capitol you are talking about."

I looked around some sites and was even more surprised. Those bastards have games about the actual Games. Online mmorpgs like 'Submit your tribute and watch it die its horrible death by reading me pathetic writing!' and all that. I mean really, they _do_ look at the Hunger Games as games…pathetic.

And they have stories called SYOTs. Submit your own tribute. Hell to it. Writing their own games…at least they aren't real. What's weird, is that they have Games that already happened, and everything altered, the winner, how the win, but the people and the arena is kept the same. Then they have future games where you send your characters in by completing a form.

I clicked on a forum about this year's games.

_Who do you want to see in the Games?_ Was the first comment, and then people had their descriptions about people, very specific. Date of birth, hair and eye colour, preferences, friends, tokens, everything. Then…I read a biography that could be my person biography. From my birth, family, friends and everything, just like it is about me.

_Oh yeah, Binar?_

Stop.

Binar? I'm Binar. They are talking about me?

What in the world?

How do they know about me?

If they know about me…then…they basically watch everyone.

Suddenly my computer went dark and the lights shut down.

"Sorry kids, I think I pushed something," Mom called upstairs.

In that inconvenient silence, I could hear my heartbeat.

"Binar, are you okay?" Arcad asks a bit worried. Maybe I was pale, maybe not, maybe I was shaking, maybe not. Maybe I looked like a ghost, maybe not.

Then the lights turned back on and my computer started up.

"Guys…wouldn't it be awkward if there would be people watching us all the time?"

"Well, we have parents," Arcad joked.

I turn around. "No, I mean, random people watching us all the time. All. The. Time."

"I bet girls get crazy over me," Conduc said, and I may have replied jokingly, but not now.

I saw what I saw.

Internet get back and I got back to the old site where I saw my name.

"Oh would you look at that. Submit Your Own District 3 Geek. Binar. That's a coincidence," Conduc says and I scrolled down.

Now, there was a list of names and characteristics to choose from.

No…that's not right. This changed. I don't know how, but it did.

"Boys, get to the Reapings!" Mom reminded us.

Fine.

Let's go to the Reapings.

I don't have anything against the Escort of our District. He is quite normal.

"Goodnight ladies and gentlemen. The stars are up and the party's starting. As you know, this is the fourth Quarter Quell, and we have a twist. The twist is that now the tributes friends and family and acquaintances will be in the Games. The male tribute is…" he takes the paper out from a bowl. "Binar Krein!"

I didn't have anything against our Escort.

Up until he said my name.

_Finley Autumn_

Well now, our Escort, Ray, is quite amazing. He is in his late twenties, with black hair and neon green eyes. Neon green! He is also much of a character. A party animal, also a gentleman. He is very kind and he is nothing like a Capitol person, even though he is one.

This year he is wearing a skin tight black uniform with a neon green electrical network starting from his body, and ending by his foot. His shoe is elevated, and it looks like he is floating above the stage.  
>He wears a translucent face mask, and looks like a very humanoid robot.<p>

"Goodnight ladies and gentlemen," he greets us. "The stars are up and the party's starting. As you know, this is the fourth Quarter Quell, and we have a twist. The twist is that now the tributes friends and family and acquaintances will be in the Games. The male tribute is…Binar Krein!"

This tall kid slowly walks up the stage, talking to some guys.

"I volunteer!" A boy yells and walks up the stage. "I volunteer for Binar."

Binar said something, argued with the boy, but I didn't hear them. Finally, Binar grabbed the boy's neck and started to choke him.

"No, you will _not_ volunteer," he said slowly and I could actually hear him.

Wow, some kid he is.

Binar let go of the boy.

"And now, your female tribute representing District 3 is…Ydrox Hide" Well, I didn't get reaped, my friend did. She slowly walks up, as if she is going to her won funeral, up the stage and next to Ray.

"I volunteer!" My tiny voice breaks into his. "I volunteer." I walk up the stage, pushing kids and Peacekeepers.

"No! I've got Reaped, I will go to the Games!" I look into her eyes with my mean look. I grabbed her arm.

"You really want to disagree with me? Are you sure? Girl I could snap your bones right now. I volunteer for her." I let her hand go.

I hope she will understand it, and I did not cause her too much pain.  
>"Okay, well, what's your name pretty lady?"<p>

"Finley Autumn."

"Well now, your District 3 tributes are Binar Krein and Finley Autumn."

I really hope Ydrox will understand it.

_Binar Krein_

Sweet mother of god. I think I went a little bit too far with that. I mean choking? No, you didn't choke him. You grabbed his neck, but not chocked him. It was all to put the people into a false knowledge of me being evil.

I guess that Finley girl is evil. I thought I'll actually have a kind and or normal partner, not this psycho.

Inside the Justice Building, not surprisingly, Conduc and Arcad are the first ones to come in.

"What the fuck?" Conduc snaps as he massages his neck.

"Sorry!"

"Hell yeah you should be sorry. Why did you attack me?"

"I don't want you to be a tribute."

"Then just tell me? No need to attack your best friend…"

"I am very sorry, but to give the false impression to my audience, and make people believe I am fearsome."

"Haha, attacking a person does look fearsome, but why me? Why not the Escort," Conduc asks me.

"Well…I'm sorry."

"Stop being sorry," Arcad says finally. "If you are sorry in the Games, they'll finish you off. You started your evil character side, play it. Don't be sorry, be mean, and never be sorry. If you are, you doom yourself."

He's right.

No more turning back, nor more kindness. It is Binar the evil.

A group hug and they leave.

Possibly my last visitor is Tect.

He slaps me.

"Do you know what happened? Do you?" He particularly roars at me. "Do you?"

Surprised, I didn't know if I should be scared or angry. "…No?"

"Mom got a heart attack!"

Oh motherfucking bitches.

"What?" I ask to make sure.

"She got a heart attack!"

"Is…is she okay?"

"For now she's good. I don't know how she will handle when you die."

"I won't die!" I yell at him, now he got me mad. Blaming on me everything. Like I could allow Conduc to volunteer for me. I'll be in the Games either way.

"Please."

"But…" he says and sighs, "we're screwed either way. Conduc knows us, so we'd be in the Games." He sits down on the coach and hangs his head in the air. "Goddamit Binar, just don't die, okay?"

Thanks. Now I've got to play the evil me _and_ survive.

_Finely Autumn_

"Why did you volunteer for me?" Ydrox snaps at me.

"Should I allow you to the Games?"

She sighs. "I don't know…"

"No," Sandelluis answered my question for her. "If you look at that in a way, Finley has more chance to survive than you, no offence."

"Non taken."

"Beside, if you get reaped your two brothers will be in the Games too, with you and your family."

"I know."

"And Finley knows a lot of things, thanks to being a mutt."

"Excuse you," I say to him.

"You know what I mean."

I nod at him.

I really don't feel like talking. Not like I won't see them anymore, they'll be with me in the Games.

Sand gives me a pill.

"This is a little pill that gives you a stronger immune system. And something. But I don't know what. Forgot it."

Whatever now. I swallowed the pill.

I wish I never done that.

Felt dizzy…and the floor slammed into me.


	5. The Shark and the Mermaid

_Shark_

Lots of people say to me, Shark, why are you so big and strong. Well, I answer, no one would disagree with me.

It is true. No one would mess with a guy named Shark. Or who looks like me. I mean, I'm big and buff, not a very weak looking person or anything. I'm full with scars and wounds, a tattoo, bite marks, all that not good stuff.

And that is exactly what I need for my job. Not really like a mafia thingy, but feels like it. Being only eighteen, I am the head of the fish market in the west side of Halfest's Harbor. Lots of people here make lots of money. People make me rich, no matter what I do to them, I get paid either way.

"Hey boss, we're done moving the fish and crustaceans from dock five, what should we do now?" One of my workers asks.

"Take ten and then go over our production for the day, then report back."

"Okay."

For our bad luck, something got the fish and they are either bad or dead, greatly reducing our money…so we can have that we sell the fish high priced, sell the bad fish under the normal price, or continue the normal selling.

And the Reapings are tomorrow. People want to take out a day or two to be with their friends and family before one of them get Reaped. There are only so much people I can let go, so I decided that if they do the next day's work before or after, they are free to go. But if they don't, they'll wish they never took that they out.

Then again, I have Guppy to do all the important, smart-ass stuff.

I have my own stuff to do.

Right now, it is to buy something for Tiara.

See, she's going to the Games as the Escort, and…well…I'd just like to give her something.

So I go into a jewelry shop and search for a little bracelet.

There, I found this pearl bracelet.

"I want this," I tell the salesman.

"That'd be seventy dollars," he says and puts the bracelet in a bag.

I give him the money and leave.

I hope she'll like it.

Not like she won't. It's Tiara, she is happy for every present she gets. Even from a guy like me.

I had to drop out of school in my freshmen year to start working so I could keep myself up. My parents just threw me out of their house for no reason, and now I live alone. I'm pretty gruff and rough, and so obviously I'm not the smartest person. I maybe be smart business wise, but not book wise. Besides, do you really wanna mess with a guy who is almost seven foot tall and weighs two hundred pounds, that is all muscle? I don't think so.

Outside, everything's fine. People work, the sea gulls fly, like everything is perfect.

I spot Tiara wandering about.

Well.

Now or never.

"Hey Tiara, can I talk to you," I ask her, nervous as hell.

"Oh hey Sebastian, sure," She says smiling at me. She is one of the few people who know my _real_ name.

"Uhm…I was just wondering…I was wondering if you…if you want to…you know…go -"

"Hey boss, do you know where-"

"What?" I roared at the kid who interrupted me. "What do you want?"

"Wh-where is G-guppy?

"I don't know, search him!" The kid ran away frantically. "Sorry about that…"

"It's okay. What did you want to ask?"

"Uhm…do you want to…go out with me?"

Well, it went worse than I expected…Oh well. I just go and change for the Reapings. My last Reapings.

I wonder what will happen if I get Reaped, I get to spend my remaining time with Tiara.

And die.

Haha, please, me? Dying?

I could strangle anyone with my hands. Or snap their arms. Beat the shit out of them with a club or a trunk.

But then…I have to kill small, innocent kids.

Haha, that'll be great.

I take a shower, pretend I care about my looks, and get on a bus to the Square.

_Carolie Davis_

I don't know about you, but swimming is the best thing ever. It is a great sport, works your whole body, and it is a leisure time activity too.

"Hey Cora, did you grow fins or something?" Anhell calls from the shore of the ocean.

"Come and check it out!" I yell back as I show him my foot.

My my, I really need to cut my hair, but I don't want to. It is long and silky, sandy brown and wavy, but it gets in the way of my swimming, and not once my hair tried to kill me.

Anhell my friend, who is also like my brother, he is deathly afraid of water. Any kind of water, lake, river, running water, still water, bottled water, and some other things that are liquidy. I don't know why he is scared of water, when I'm here. I'm a pretty good swimmer, and if he goes drowning, I can save him pretty easily. He is not heavy, and in water, people float.

He has sun dried brown hair and gray eyes with lean built and minimal muscles. He is good looking too, but since he got reaped into the games, he is back to Christianity. You see, he was Christian, and then became an Atheist, but two years ago, he got reaped and someone volunteered for him and he is back to Christianity, saying that God saved him and all.

"Anhell, come on! If you start drowning, which you won't, I'll save you!"

"Nah-ah, I'm staying on solid ground!"

"You do know that Panem is not a solid ground, it is a continent, but a continent is a large island, and an island is moving, since it is not connected to the crust of the earth, so by simple logic, you are not on solid ground," I explain, laying on my back.

"Carolie Davis!" He calls by my full name and I know he doesn't want to argue anymore with me.

"Ah fine…" I sigh and paddle back to shore.

"Thank you," he says, and he is noticeable more relaxed. He puts a towel on my back and I sit down on the warm sand. He sits down next to me. "Why can't you be like most girls? Tanning on the beach and chilling…"

"Why can't you be like most guys? You could do swimming, showing off their skills and body, doing dangerous things?

"Good question. I'm just much more careful than doing that." He lies down on the sand and I can almost see him instantly tan.

"So you give up by giving me right to bypass a touchy topic?"

"You make it sound so wrong," he says.

"But it is true…" I say dreamily and I lay down on my stomach.

It feels good having him next to me. Not like we're in love with each other, but it is good to have a strong boy who smells nice next to me.

His brother, Lemon, now he is hot. Tall, muscular, a six pack like oh my god, angel like voice, and all that…perfect guy. Too bad I was born too late for him. He is eighteen, and no, I do not have a crush on him. I just…enjoy seeing him swim. Now he loves to swim, so we spend quite a long time swimming and leaving Anhell worrying.

I embrace my fifteen years old friend, and I feel his ragged wound.

Well I guess that explains his fear of water. He was a kid, ten years ago or so? He got attacked by a shark, poor boy was on the edge of his life, but he survived.

"You smell like seaweed."

I like seaweed.

How much did I sleep? An hour or two? I don't know…but that is the cost when you come out to the ocean at sunrise just for the view. Ah, the view, it is so worth everything in this world. The colours, the waves, the sounds, even the smell of…well, that smell I cannot describe, and having my seaweed smelling friend, it is even better.

I wake up, and find Lemon staring at me. Anhell is not beside me.

"Look alive sunshine," he says smiling.

"Good morning Lemon," I say as I stand up and dust my skin off of dried sand. "Where is Anhell?"

"I told him to go and take a shower for the Reapings. You have like, oh, thirty minutes?"

"Oh…okay, ah, that makes sense. Thanks for waking me up though."

He walks me home where my overly terrified family awaits me.

My sister, Millea, she is working as a tailor, and a pretty good one for that. She and I, we both have our weird eyes, they are purple. Purple! That is one of the reasons I love them, they are so special, and she likes her eyes too. People say we are like two twins, we look a lot alike. We do actually, and how she looks like, that is how I imagine myself in my older years.

Lionheart, my older brother, he is fun to be around. He is but three years older than me, and his is always serious and dramatic, that is what makes him so awesome. I always joke around him and prank him, driving him nuts. Oh the joy. He has green eyes and blond hair, he enjoys surfing and finishing, sometimes putting the two together. He is popular by, pretty much everyone in the richer parts of District 4. Though there were times when his kindly revenges went a little too far for me, but whatever.

Yep, the richer parts.

Thanks to our parents, Rola and Halray. They are both very successful business people. My dad owns the fish market, and he has a good sense of buying low and selling high. He knows who to hire and fire, and he is very, set-minded. He doesn't care if something is blocking his way, he will not surrender, ever.

Tiara, my oldest sister is a singer and dancer, adored by people. She has long sandy brown hair and purple-ish blue eyes. Her voice like an angel's, no duh people like her. She loves to sing, and sometimes she does that thing that she sings when she should talk. But she doesn't sing in the nursery type way, or the rhyming way, she is rapping or rocking out. She 0only does that with her friends and family.

The Davis family leaves the house and Tiara stays for a sec.

"Are you ready for the Reapings?" I ask Tiara, she's wearing a beautiful purple gown.

"Oh yeah I am."

"It was your dream to be an Escort for District 4…aren't you a little nervous?"

"Seriously? Shut your face. Who else could it be to host this thing," she starts rapping. "People know who the h I am, I'm a pro. The right time, and the place to be, yeah I say it, I'm the best right here." She stops and waits for me to continue. She really encourages me to sing, or rap. She says that I have the voice of a siren. I don't believe her…but I still enjoy singing when no one is watching or hearing me.

"Here we go another page in your legacy, Halfest wait until they get a load of thee," I sing the line of a song she made up then stop.

"Come on, you were great!"

"I forgot the rest."

Rola, my mom, she was working as a fisher-woman when she was a kid, now she is working in an aquarium. All the fish, coral, water mammals, sharks, oh I love sharks, and it is very safe. I once fell into the shark tank, and nothing bad happened. Well, maybe because those sharkies were fed some quality meat.

After taking a good warm shower, I dress in a white sleeveless dress with ruffles at the end, with a purple tie at my hip and sandals.

Even though I shouldn't worry about a lot of things, I worry about an old friend of mine. Finley. We were friends for a long time, from kindergarten up until three years ago, when she had to leave District 4, and go into District 3. I do not know why she left, she didn't tell me or her parents didn't tell her. But oh well, not like she will get reaped.

"Come one come all, we have a Reaping to attend!" I sing-song cheerfully, but I really do not wish to go to the Reapings.

_Tiara Davis, District 4 Escort_

Why am I nervous? I have done things where much more people were watching me with eager eyes. Then why am I nervous?

Possibly the obvious answer is that I am the one who send children into the Games.

And I am forgetting why I applied to be an Escort.

Why did I want to become an Escort again?

To see the world. To see the Capitol. To understand people. To understand the whys and hows of life.

Sure that's good and everything, but…it just isn't fair. It isn't fair to send innocent children to their death for entertainment. Why don't people make books or games? Virtual reality is feeling very…real, so why don't they make a virtual reality game for the Games?

And for Christ's sake, why am I standing on the stage the whole time? Why am I not sitting down somewhere, enjoying a nice café or something?

Whatever. The children are coming; it is time for me to go up the stage.

It feels like my brain is pulsating, the back of my neck is sweating, which is really annoying, and I feel dizzy. Haha, like I will get Reaped.

"H-hello District 4!" There goes my confident introduction. "The 100th Hunger Games is starting, and it is once again time to send kids to their en-" Praise or ignore, my teacher used to say. Either praise the Games and the Capitol or don't say anything about it, "energizing times!" Energizing? Really? "The fourth Quarter Quell's twist is," I open the little yellow note card, and read it. The tributes' families, friends and acquaintances will be sent into the Games too. "The people whom the tributes know will be sent into the Games as well." I say after a few deep breaths.

This got the district buzzing with fear.

"The male tribute is…" I mix the names in the bowl and pick one and read the name. Sebastian Carcharodon. What? No. No no no. That's…No. I swallow my urge to just walk away and say his name. "Sebastian Carcharodon."

He stands up and shoves people away as he walks up. He is not sad, he is not angry. He is…I don't know. I can't read that expression. I know one thing for sure, Sebastian was never ordinary; from the day I met him, I knew something was wrong with him.

"And the female tribute is…" I pick a name, I don't care who the tribute is, just want to get out of here.

What was I thinking? Everything goes perfectly as I imagined? I'm so stupid.

Carolie Davis.

My sister? That Carolie? Oh god no. Just say another name.

Come on Tiara, just say another name. Another innocent girl, but your sister. But who? Everyone I know is already over eighteen.

"Carolie Davis!"

What have I done?

My sister, shocked, walks up the stage, and as she does, she doesn't look anywhere but my eyes.

_Sebastian Carcharodon_

Well, I'm in the Games, good. I can easily win this game, good. But I have to kill Tiara's sister, not good.

Most of the kids are happy that I leave because they hate me, so I evidently didn't get any visitors. Not even my mother or father. Just as usual.

Both are really rich, snobby assholes. Threw me out of their home for no reason, they ignored me ever since.

They do not know what suffer is, they do not know what it means not to eat for days. They do not know how it feels to be alone for years.

They don't know anything!

Nothing!

They always had what they want, cars, houses, servants and people! I bet they don't even love each other, just have mistresses and gardener boys.

I'm sure Tiara would come if she wouldn't be the Escort.

The door opens and a butler comes in.

"Lady and Sir Carcharodon have written this for you," he says with a posh accent and gives me a letter.

I look at it and smile at him.

I tore the letter apart and give it back to the butler.

"Tell them to shove it up their ass."

_Carolie Davis_

Not exactly what I have imagined for today.

I got Reaped, and my sister announced it.

Not like it was her fault, she is bound by law.

Still…

At least I'll spend my last days with my sister.

Mom and dad come in, and they do the usual. Try to get me out, protect me, and cry on me. Well, my mom. Dad doesn't cry. Not like he doesn't want to, but he can't. Something's wrong with his eyes and cannot cry. It feels like a minute, but it really is ten minutes and they have to leave.

It feels like they took a part of my heart.

Next comes Lionheart, with a bead necklace.

"Thought you'd need a token for the Games, and this is just what you need… I guess. All two hundred and seventy four beads. I counted them."

That bead necklace. I don't know how I started it, but something like 'for every time I find a new fish' or something, but then it became a hobby for me to collect beads.

This would be a great token for me. A lot of memories are in this necklace, a lot. I can name at least two for each bead.

"Carol,"

"Yes?"

"Be passive aggressive. Hide, scavenge, do not be the centre of attention like you are here. Okay?"

"Fine."

Anhell comes in last, weird how he is not with Lemon.

"There are so many things we could've done before. Like…swim together, or just chill, go to the malls and watch movies. Talk about our significant others if we had one. All those. But no, because no one volunteered for you. Not even Leyra, she is always speaking about herself as a goddess or something, but she actually an ogress…"

And we talked, talked like it was any other day. That is how I want to remember by little seaweed friend, content and Anhell like, not crushed and crying…

Anyhow.

There are no turn backs or regrets. It is all or nothing.


	6. Freakshow

_Elias Alto_

Have you ever felt lost? Anxious? Used? Angry? Pathetic? Ashamed? Curious? That is just normal, you people always feel that. No wonder you are so easy to manipulate, I just take someone you love and use it to control you.

Take a look at me? There aren't many things you could use against me. My friends are strong, my brothers are stronger, and my parents, well, whatever about them.

They were working too much in life, so they didn't really have time for showing their affection toward their child; and look at their sons now.

Loc, the eldest, he is quiet and confident, but he is also cold towards people unknown to him. He also has to deal with a great deal of stress, since he is the one keeping the household together, and there are times when he cannot hold it anymore, and he explodes. We know he doesn't mean it; it is a natural reaction to stress, a way of dealing with it.

Then there is Niko, not the brightest bulb in the box, but nonetheless he is more human than others. He talks a lot, and sometimes does that without thinking of consequences. He is kind of our personal happiness generator. He is too very kind and caring, and I'm sure he would do anything for his friends and family. Since Loc is cold towards alien people, and I'm being myself, he is the one talking to other people.

Me, well, I'm the odd one out. If Loc is quiet, I am mute. I never talk when I'm alone with an unknown person, and I only feel safe in the circle of my friends. Even in school, I never do group work, because my group mates would be ignored completely. They wouldn't mind, not many people 'mind' me at all. I am the kid who doesn't talk in class, the one who always gets good grades, the one who works all the time and never has fun.

Truth is, when I work, that is the time I have fun.

I hope you know that District 5 is the district with the doctors and knowledge. It is here where we create new biological beings. Unfortunately, my parents do not work in that field. Father is an electric guy and mother is a scientist. Luckily though, well, double-sided-blade luckily though, there were some experiments on genetic material and its effects on the organism in my family, namely on me.

Exactly, I was the subject of experimenting. Not only me, my brothers too.

Niko's nervous system was played with, and now he doesn't feel pain, any pain. There are times though when he doesn't feel anything, so he needs to take some medication. Loc was the subject of internal heat experiments, meaning he can control his body heat, and he is unaffected by external heat. My dear body was altered too, my nervous system. As you might already know, the brain sends tiny electrical signals to different parts of the body. Well, today electricity cannot kill me or hurt me.

Fun. No?

Two knocks on my door and Niko enters my room.

"Elias, do you know when the Reapings are?" He asks worried, still wearing his boxers.

"Fifteen hundred, today."

"I knew it! Oh, and would you please tell me what to wear?"

Silly boy, of course.

I sigh and stand up from my working desk. I was working on the DNA sequence of a bird smart enough to sort the words it hears, and to know what to say when. "Sure thing Niko," I say.

We go to his room, everything's a mess. As usual, but hey, he knows where everything is.

"Did you take a shower?" I ask.

"Yes, yes I did. I'm not that forgetting."

I cock an eyebrow questioningly, but I'm sure he did. People don't smell like peaches for no reason.

"Well now, it is I who should be worrying for the Reaping day. You and Loc are over eighteen. Why do you need to look fancy and dandy?"

"You know how people need the Alto Brain to do things?" He asks. When saying '_Alto Brain'_ he refers to our intelligence and creativity to solve people's problems for a hefty amount of money.

"Yes?"

"Mrs. Thorne?"

"Oh yeah, the splicing lady, what about her?"

"Remember your DNA map about a small animal helping bad humans?"

"Bad? Don't you mean defected?" I correct him kindly. "But yes, I do remember that, why, they finished it?"

"Well they did, and there is also a kid in District 6 that needs one."

"Ah, okay then. Easy, wear your usually clothing." I open his closet, take out a leather jacket, a pair of jeans and a short sleeved shirt. "Here you go," I give him the clothing.

"Thanks Elias."

"Sure thing," I give him a thumbs up.

I decided to go over Switch's house to hang our, maybe Lillia will be there too. I hope I won't need to talk to any humans. It is just not the same.

When I'm with my friends, I'm perfectly normal, just like a good teenager boy, but with people I do not know, I start to worry of the randomest things, like, will I weird them out, or something different. Like it matters? Please.

Switch is also the person I usually open to my 'real' self, the one that things of humans as creatures of nature that should be taught a lesson, and not my sweet kid one. Not like the kind kid is a separate personality I need to play, it is just…what would you think of a seventeen years old kid who says that some people should suffer in endless agony for their sins against creatures? Exactly.

I wonder what kinds of mutts will be in the Games. That gives me something to do, figuring out the ways and means of their creation.

"Hey Elias," Switch catches my attention. My imagination often disappears in my abyss of thoughts.

You might never guess that this innocent looking boy is obsessed with order and justice. He has baggy blond hair and green eyes, with very childish looks.

"Y-yes?" I ask as I look at him. I was looking at his mother's flesh eating plants.

"Do you still need help with the DNA sequence?"

"No, no I've finished it this morning, thanks though. I just need it to be tested."

"Oh…that's sad. I've been working on alternative sequences," he says, his green droopy eyes a bit disappointed. He is the perfect friend for a little creator like me. I only wish he would accept some kind of reward.

"How much did you do?"

"…Twenty-five," he admits, somehow, I hear shame in his voice.

"Holy hot damn! That is a lot!"

"Yeah…I know. They may be completely wrong though…"

"I don't care. That is a lot! You are a genius."

"Thank you," another person says. "I _am_ a genius." It's Lillia; her red hair in a bum, wearing a long white skirt.

"Looking beautiful as ever," I tell her, with a bit of irony. She doesn't like skirts, at all.

"I know. I am. Beautiful. Always," she says. "You two don't look bad either. What'cha doing?"

"Discussing work, as usually."

"And now we are going to the Reapings. You do not want to be late for that, do you?"

_Aurora Thorne_

There is one thing I enjoy in District 5, is the fact that it is the birthplace of all that is scary and fairy. Even a hundred years ago, we were the one that made those mutts. We were the creeps who made the mutts for the revolution, and for the games. We still do, I'm not going to hide it, because it is obvious.

And not like it is boring or stupid. Don't get me wrong, we are not all that bad…just mildly insane and antisocial.

We make creatures to help people. Dogs that hear better to alert their owners. Cats whose ability to feel their owners' feeling is greater, hamsters that do not spontaneously explode and all that fun stuff. Then we make animals that never existed and never will exist according to Mother Nature.

Did you ever see a cat with fairy wings? I don't think so.

But I do know and I am surprised, because according to Gran-Gran my mom had a Catairy, the cat fairy, and after her death no new ones were made.

"Hrm?" I make a weird sound as I try to get my eyes to adjust to the lights.

I was sleeping, or at least, being in a half dream state, when this ball of dark purple fluff landed on me.

"Mreow!" The Catairy says. Interesting fact about Cataries, they can talk. Or at least, speak words.

"What do you want?" I just don't know what to do now, seemingly the last Catairy, and the last Catairy belonged to mom. So is it mom's?

"I love you," the Catairy said. Well, not really said, repeated. They repeated whole sentences and say individual words with a weird purring sound. It definetly repeated the sentence, because it was mom's.

"Gran-Gran!"

"Aurora, I'm sorry."

"Gran-Gran!" I scream as I flip the sheet of me and run down the stairs.

"I've failed you…"

I am pretty sure I ran down the stairs screaming my head off, because Gran-Gran was pretty scared.

"Darling, you look like you saw a ghost."

Gran-Gran looks pretty good for her age. I love her so much.

She allowed mom and I stay with her when Friderick left us.

She has short long curly hair. It looks short, it goes until the beginning of her neck, but when she straightens it, it goes until the middle of her back. She has gray eyes that are always seem to be concerned about something, but she is actually very carefree.

She is also _not_, but she looks good rounder than most people. It gives her this caring grandma stereotypical look. Don't imagine her three meters wide, just…chubby. She usually wears gray poncho over some light coloured blouse and dark pants with sandals.

The doctor told her not to use glasses, but she sees well without them.

"What's wrong hun?"

"You know mom's Catairy?"

"Bubblegum?"

"Yeah, and she was the last Catairy?"

"Yes…she ran away when poor May…died." Her eyes darkened. She is a strong woman, never cries. Doesn't allow herself to cry.

"She's back."

"What?" Her eyes widen.

"Bubblegum's in my room."

"Sweet Swedish cheese," she said and she went upstairs to my room.

I was about to warn her about the mess in my room when she stepped into…but my room was perfectly organized, and Bubblegum sleeping on mom's dress that I was going to wear for the Reapings.

Bubblegum has neon blue eyes and she is pitching black with a blue tongue. Her wings, those translucent fairy wings, were now on her back. She had two pairs, coming from the same spot.

She opened her eyes, noticed us, and started to flap her wings happily.

"Mom, Aurora!" She said, actually with her own purring voice and flew to us.

"She is Bubblegum…but how? And why now?"

"There are so many things I want to tell you," Bubblegum repeated.

"Where were you?" Gran-Gran asks.

"Away."

"Aurora darling, go and have breakfast. Charlie made pancakes."

Charlie, my grandfather, is the best cook in the whole world. He is starting to go bald; he's losing his dark brown hair from the top of his head.

Gran-Gran and Papi have a rather great little animal farm and genetics laboratory. Gran-Gran is the head for now, but she says that when the time comes, I'll take over.

We splice animals for the good and the bad. A lot of people send orders for us, like this one kid from District 6, he is slowly but surely going blind, so his family, some five years ago, asked us if we have an animal that can help him with his everyday life. Dogs were too boring and large, and smaller dogs do not have the mental capabilities, making them smarter takes too much time. So we started to think in other animals. I'm proud of myself because I came up with having an owl. Not really coming up with it…just…oh fine, this is how it happened.

I had a plush owl called Monsieur Pudding, and I was bothering Gran-Gran with him, and that's how she got the idea.

From Monsieur Pudding

And now the kid actually has an easier way of getting around his District, his parents and Gran-Gran have a good relationship; we get e-mails and letters from them regularly.

We live in a large house, and our backyard is the smaller version of our large pet farm. We have two Kangabits who just gave life to four babies; they are a cross between a kangaroo and rabbit. A family of Turtle Ducks. An old male Slanth, mix of a sloth and an anteater, Papi's pet. A Cippo, a hippo-cow mix, Gran-Gran's pet. Whistling Groundhogs, Meadow Voles, lot of birds, Armadillo Wolves, and my pets, five Pentepuses.

They aren't big, the biggest they grow is palm sized. They are little five legged octopi. Their head is usually lighter colour then their legs, and they are adorable!

They leave red marks on your skin, because they suck on it, and the only way to remove them is to tickle them.

After eating breakfast, I wash my teeth downstairs, because I'm too damn scared to go upstairs and then feed our little critters.

First, two cabbages for Range and Koo, the Kangabits; bread and little fish for the Mork Family of Turtle Ducks, a whole ant-bread for Brutus the Slanth, and a chunk of meat and a lot of veggies for Poofcake the Cippo. The Tituses and Kalos, well they are herbivores so they usually just graze on flower and random greens, but I give them carrots, cucumbers and melons.

Gran-Gran also takes care of our birds, they are in their birdhouse. Inside, it doesn't even look like they are in District 5, more like in a forest. I just refill their food supplies and leave in a hurry…they dislike me.

I feed my little booboos some fish and kelp. There is Bosnia, Hungary, Slovenia, Russia, and Spain. The reason I named them countries is because I always used to forget those countries, but not the others. And they seem to like their names.

I go and check on Gran-Gran and Bubblegum before I meet up with my friends. I'm still in my night gown.

It feels awkward knocking on my own door.

"So…anything you found out?"

"Well, she told me in words where she was and how she survived, how she was catnapped and all that, but she insists to talk to you, because May wanted to tell you something."

"Uhm…okay?"

Gran-Gran hugged me and left, leaving me with mom's messenger.

"Come on Bubblegum, talk," I say to her and scratch her under her chin.

"Aurora, I'm sorry. I've failed you. I always wanted to see you grow up, graduate, have a family, live your life. Apparently that will be impossible," Bubblegum made coughing sounds. "It's getting over me. Not even the doctors here know what this is or how to stop this…You are so young, but you'll have to grow up so fast…" Bubblegum coughed again.

I didn't know what to think, I just listen, for hours. Hours about the truth, about the man I do not refer to as father, everything.

And I was listening.

_Elias Alto_

It is good that we are all seventeen; at least we can sit together. Lillia sat at the end, then me, and then Switch.

It was awkward, being quiet, hearing quiet. When I'm quiet, it is all normal, but when Lillia and Switch were quiet, now that was awkward. They are never quiet, always talking about something.

The whole Reaping felt like a funeral.

Maybe they were quiet because it was raining.

I like rain, it makes people depressed, but not me. I was actually smiling.

Our Escort, Shviga, came on the stage without making a sound. He talked, told us that the tributes' family will be used in the games.

Great.

Shviga was wearing all gray clothing, his large dark brown eyes filled with misery. His pale skin never saw sunlight. He had contacts that made his pupil yellow, and the white of his eye black. All in all, he looked pathetic, a human wreck. Dark circles around his eyes, it was just…misery.

"The male tribute is by the name of Elias Alto!"

Oh.

Well.

Whatever.

Lillia held her breath, and I swear I could read Switch's thoughts.

Should I volunteer for him?

But he'd be used no matter.

Maybe I can save him and Lillia, _and_ my family, _and_ survive.

No Switch my dear friend, do not volunteer for me.

I walk up the stage, and stand beside Shviga.

_Aurora Thorne_

I decided not to tell my friends about Bubblegum.

Antoinette, my brunette would go all pity on me. Not like that's bad, but I don't want people's pity. I'd want to be talked to. She is actually a good person to talk to, she knows a lot, and she sells it. She's tall with curly chestnut brown hair and dark eyes, and a funny accent that I can't really decided on.

Then there is Rickvard. He is tall and he is bold, but he is confident. Or stubborn. Depends how you look at it. He is very sure about what he says, even when he is wrong, he can almost make you believe that you are wrong, and not him. That is one of the reasons I failed to get an A+ in math a week ago.

Sofiea is the one I feel the closest to. She is always cheerful and happy. She is just a little sunshine, with her reddish blonde hair and always happy eyes. Yes, her eyes are happy. I don't know how to describe happy eyes, it is just…her eyes always seem to, well, I don't know, be happy I guess.

But we did go to the Reapings together, and we will come back together and have a bowling party.

Sofiea was wearing a medium length sunny dress with orange flip flops. Rickvard was being Rickvard and didn't change his everyday clothing. Jeans and a shirt. Antoinette was wearing a mini skirt and dark leggings with a pretty white blouse.

And then it started to rain, hooray.

Good thing though that I always bring an umbrella, but I don't know why. I guess because I liked to play with it on boring days. I'm actually really good with sticks and rods, making them spin and all those really showy things.

So now we are huddled together, like homeless children, under one umbrella, waiting for the Reapings to end.

Shviga is an interesting person, always depressing over everything, but because of that, I am sure he is actually kind. Or he is an evil sadistic person. One of the two.

"The male tribute is by the name of Elias Alto," he announces.

Elias Alto? That sounds familiar…Elias…Hm…Oh I know!

Isn't he Niko's brother? Man, that is horrible…

"The female tribute is by the name of Aurora Thorne!"

Isn't that me? Man…that sucks.

Well, I can do a lot of things I don't look like, so I may just play my cards right and possible end up killing the kid who helps people.

Oh well, get ready young man.

_Elias Alto_

Great.

Amazing.

Lovely.

I'm in the Games with Mrs. Thorne's granddaughter. Ha, I will never come back alive.

Niko cannot say anything, and Loc only writes and writes.

"Look, guys," I start feeling awkward. "Looking at just my partner, there isn't much chance I will come back alive, or maybe in one piece. So-"

"Shut up!" Niko yells. "Don't say that! Do not think like that!"

"Considering the fact of the twist and that I am not exactly the fighter type, I'll be happy if I get you two and those two safely out of there."

"And how do you think we will live without you?"

"And how do you think I will live without all of you? It is either at least four people living without one, or families living without their kids? Think now brother," I knock on his head. "Look, think logically. I could make an alliance, but even they will have some people in the Games, so evidently they will try to have their friends saved first. Either way you look at it, it is the best to place you guys before me."

It was time for them to go, we gave each other a silent hug. Before leaving, Loc gave me an envelope and ruffled my hair.

"Go crazy on them."

Well, basically the same thing happened with Lillia and Switch.

Lillia was crying and I had to explain things to her, and then she'd disagree for no reason and have a tantrum, then cry because she had one. Switch was mourning quietly, but I know he was also thinking about the Games. The other players. The mutts and traps. I might even risk of thinking that he is working out a plan.

After they left too I open the envelope. It has a metal charm that looks like a roman numeral three and a letter.

_Aurora Thorne_

So I'm with the Alto Brain.

That has its setbacks and advances.

He is very smart, and if I get the smarts together, we could eliminate all the others and then I can kill them off with my bow and arrow. But that also means that we will be prime target of careers. And what if he and I got attacked? He is almost useless, not to be whatever.

With the right mindset, I could achieve great things.

And that is being objective; don't get the feelings get to you.

The Games don't start in the Arena.

They start right now.

My three friends come in, all talking at the same time, babbling about the Games and me, all scared of my death…and theirs. I can feel their nervousness and anxiety.

After talking to them, calming them down, Gran-Gran and Papi came in.

"Oh darling…" Gran-Gran embraces me. "I don't want to loose my daughter and granddaughter."

"You won't. And I won't loose you."

"This goes from mother to daughter darling," she says and gives me a leather bracelet.

"Remember what I thought you right?" Papi asks me. "About where to shoot for different people? Indirect hitting?"

"Yes, yes, knowing one's weak points and not only the physical ones."

It's funny how now I await the Games.


	7. The Owl and the Wolf

_Snapdragon Rasputun_

They say that when God closes a window, he opens a door. Well, I'd believe that, if I'd be religious. Since I'm not, I don't believe in it.

Other people say that if you lose one of your senses, the others get stronger.

Wrong.

They don't. I don't smell better, I don't hear better, I feel more pain, and I don't go around licking people and houses.

Well, that's maybe because of Bartholomew. He just sits on my shoulder and warns me of anything dangerous. A step, a person, or the traffic. He just hoots and gently scratches me.

Bartholomew is my pet owl, no, more like my friend. I got him five years ago as a present and as a device to help me get around town and survive my days. He is a genetically engineered Scops Owl.

You see, I hope you've guessed that I am blind by my hints, and I need something or someone to look out for me. A dog is too large, and smaller dogs do not have the mental capacities, and owls are intelligent, so an owl was engineered.

I'm not completely blind, hallelujah, but it is progressive. I have a special condition that didn't appear in my family for centuries, until now.

Not even the docs here know what this is, which is kind of disturbing. I am slowly, but surely, going blind. Sometimes I see perfectly, sometimes my vision is hazy, sometimes my vision is reduced to colours and shapes. Sometimes I only see black and white, or nothing at all but white.

This is how Bartholomew comes. He is always on my shoulder being my guard, because my vision changes by the secound, I never know what'll happen.

And then there are my wanna-be friends. Coming from a rich family, I have everything I need in my life and more, but friends. You know how it goes with rich people, everyone wants to be my friend; if not, and they want my money.

They do not even know my full name! Snapdragon Cheskovicz Krassus Rasputun. But most people call me Snapdragon Rasputun.

Then again, with all our money my family cannot be helped.

Some goons spilled toxicants over my mom's work space and she inhaled it, causing almost fatal mental defections. Almost. She didn't die, but she gave life to my sister who got mental disabilities. So…that's almost good, she's fine but her daughter is not.

She was hospitalized for a year and a half, so I had to take jobs and live by my friend. I was good with skipping school; I have supreme intelligence and photographic memory.

Then again, photographic memory and going blind doesn't go together.

"Snaps, I'm gonna go shopping, I'll be back in an hour or two," mom says and kissed me on my forehead.

"Okay Basil," I respond.

Funny how I call everyone by their first names if they are grown-ups and by their surnames if they are teenagers like me. That goes for teachers, principals, governors and shopkeepers.

I was blessed with two friends, Nina Periglade and Gorse Actor.

The latter is the happy one. He always knows what to say to people to make them feel better. It would be better if he'd be not handsome, as he says, because then he could insult himself for others to be happy. Of course, he can be an asshole at times, but that is part of his 'beauty.' He is tall with broad shoulders, little stubble and a not so kind face. He doesn't look kind or happy or smart, but indeed he is. He is also a tiny bit twisted, but just a tiny bit. He threatens people casually, backhands them, usually their shoulder, step on their shoes or just speaks his mind. Which is not good, because you don't want to know what goes around his head.

Then there is Nina. Kind of hyper, okay, very hyper. She drinks energy drinks all the time, and she doesn't get sick. She eats junk food, doesn't get fat. Inhaled things that should not be inhaled, she got even better! She is like the twenty-fifth century Jesus!

And she looks like her personality. Long bright red hair, I mean, so bright it hurts your eyes, dark eyes and freckles, with an elfish features. She and Actor go together, one's the careless, the other the careful.

But then, Periglade loves to fall in love, and I can tell you all the twelve guys she played with. Sometimes her tricks backfired, and she was played with. Actor loved those times and took videos of it. He is also a sadistic person, but that goes with his description of being 'twisted.' He on the other hand, is very rational, serious, realistic, sometimes feeding himself with wrong theories about life, and he often changes his mind because of them. Not like he's wrong, but he is a very…protective and self-protective person. Like, he wouldn't stand up for me when I'd be surrounded by five guys, because he knows that even if we'd win, we'd be better of running away and taking revenge at night.

"Come on Nadia," I call in the living room for my pretty little sister.

Her mental disorder is nothing overly serious fortunately. She is just…autistic a bit. She is in her world of whatever-she-wonders-about and only listens to me. Which is weird. I dislike kids, except her. I love her with everyone part of my body.

"Momma?" She asks.

"She went to the shop."

And she is smarter than her classmates. Looks like the toxicants had good things in them.

"Ah," she nods and goes back to crayoning the paper.

"What are you drawing my liege?"

"The Games," she says.

Well what Games?

"Games?"

"You know, the one in the TV? Where the mostly innocent children are sent to an arena of their doom for entertainment of the Capitol citizens? Those Games." What? She never really acknowledged the Games, as in, _the_ Games that tore families apart and leave broken hearts. Just…a game.

In her current drawing, there is a feathery humanoid's shadow walking away from a dead corpse with her eyes out. She had curly black hair and dark eyes.

"Who's that?"

"You. If you ever get into the Games, you will have the help of all owl like creatures, because of Barty. " Barty is Bartholomew.

"Oh…that is lovely."

"But there are more. There is a girl with a shady past, running along," she said, not looking up as she moved pictures aside. This girl had her hair in a ponytail, with weights on her legs and arm, shorts, and a tank top, running along a lake with the moon shining on her face. There was a scar on her forehead, blood gushing out. "And also the King and Queen of the Battlefield, the Water Nymph, and these two girls with a golem that protects them."

"Nadia dear, when did you start drawing these?"

"Oh you know, weeks ago. And since it is Reapings today, I drew this," she put a large drawing that is a mix of crayon and paint on the coffee table.

The picture depicted our district Escort who goes by many names, reading a name. No one really knows his real name. People call him Ghost, Freak, Ash-Face, Monster and all that bizarro names. He was wearing his signature look. Gray skin, poison green eyes, medium length black hair with a wide white streak. A long stitch from ear to hear, giving him an eerie look of grin, a black eyepatch, and a little demonic top hat. He is wearing his gray suit, with a darkened lab coat with formal shoes. It is not his looks that creep people out, it is his aura. He is a fine young men, but with a rather…dark personality.

There is also a girl, similar to the running girl next to him, with a large wolf by her. The picture is in first person, with Ash-Face looking right into my eyes.

"Snapdragon Rasputun!" I heard his voice calling me. "Snaps!" It Periglade.

"What?" I ask her as I turn around.

"I love you," she says dramatically.

"Alright, what do you want?" She doesn't say that usually, only when she needs something. She knows that I know that she loves me, and she knows that I love her too.

"Nothing, why would I do that?"

"Because you were born by the name of Nina Periglade."

"Oh you, stop flattering me. Gorse bugs me with everything again, how I am unreasonable and reckless."

"But it's true!" Actor screams from the kitchen.

"I will step on your balls if you don't shut up!" She screams back at Actor.

"If you won't stop shouting and arguing I will step on both of your balls."

"But I don't have balls…" She says.

"Oh do you know?"

_Xanthe Rowan_

It's dark. It's quiet, dead quiet. Perfect. I can hear anything going inside the compartment, and outside too. Separating my breathing and my heart's beating from other noises inside, putting together the sounds and their owners.

There is Wolf sleeping, the noise Yarrow's animals make, and then the noisy streets outside.

Yarrow is out for a good time, now is the time to escape.

"Wolf…" I stroke his fur as my friend sleeps. "I'll be out for a short while. Try not to eat any of the animals."

He opens one of his orange eyes and growls.

_I'll try._ I translate the growl.

I pick the warehouse's lock and leave.

The road is busy and I quickly blend into the passerbies' mass of people.

I have an unsettled business with Jeffrey.

That kid stole something from me and lied about it. Of course Yarrow got in trouble, he is my, what's the word, protector? No, he is my guardian.

He thinks just because he is rich he can do anything. Please.

This time he will learn not to mess with me.

I have everything I need to teach him the lesson of the century.

No need to skulk around, no one suspect a thing. A turn here, a twist there, cross the bridge and a little walk and…here we are.

Jeffrey's villa. It is funny how they didn't fix the security, only hired more security.

There are two gorillas by the front gate, but who says I need to use it? A large, climbable tree has its branches hanging into their garden, and I can jump from the branches into the secound floor of their house.

That is exactly what I do. I climb up the tree with ease, hanging upside-down from a branch, I'm thinking. Should I really do that? Take revenge and all? I mean, it is socially not the right thing, but logically, following Hammurabi's Code, an eye for an eye.

Haha, no. I like revenge, and we are not living in Hammurabi's time.

I jump from the branch into the balcony without a sound. Stupid people, the glass door is wide open.

I make my way through the room, wondering if I should take something or not.

Well I just happened to have an empty bag with me, waiting to be filled.

They are rich, we are poor. They shouldn't mind.

But they will. And Yarrow will get in trouble.

Focus on the goal. Revenge on Jeffrey.

Not like Jeffrey's not good or anything, he is just mean to the poor ones, and he is very snobby. If he'd be poor or I'd be rich, we'd be friends I think. I don't know.

I have a hard time trusting people since Dodger. He was just as rich as Jeffrey, only much meaner and uglier. Jeffrey is at least nice to look at, but still mean.

Jeffrey is also very sure of himself. The best, bravest, the 'hottest' whatever that means, smartest and all that.

Picking on fourteen years-olds like me is so brave.

He is sleeping in his room. There is my book, and my pillow, photo-book and all those things I lost.

I quickly pack everything I own in my bag.

"Time for sweet revenge." I grab a smaller bag with lots of small holes in it and duct tape. I duct tape his hands together, but only after I pulled them behind his back. Then his legs too, and I duct tape his mouth close too. Lastly, I pull the bag over his head and duct tape that too. It doesn't take long until he wakes up, but I just leave.

I'm not proud of what I did, but there is no way he will learn to do the right thing.

At home, Yarrow awaits for me with a more than worried look.

"Where were you?"

"If you know where I was, then why are you asking me?"

"Because I want to hear it from you."

"I retrieved stolen items and took minor revenge on a person."

"Xanthe, how many times did I tell you not to do that," he asked after a sigh.

"No one saw me, or knows I was there."

"But they're rich! It's like their world is law."

"Exactly. But we just need to fire up those cameras again in case the police comes around."

"What do you have in mind?"

Just a little reenactment. If we have proof that I didn't leave, we are safe. We just need to mess with the camera around a bit, make it look like I never left and it's done.

I still understand why Jeffrey and the others are mean to us. I guess I just say what I always say.

Humans will be humans no matter what.

For example. Dodger did something to my memory and I only that I ran away from somewhere and he adopted me. then he threw me out the streets. There I found Wolf, a wolf, according to Yarrow, Wolf is a Lupus Supreme. That might explain his size.

Yarrow's still only eighteen, but he knows more about life then anyone else. He is also very smart, teaching me ancient history and all that useful information I will never use in my life. But I am grateful that he does that. He is the only human I trust so far.

Wolf my furry friend is as large as a lion, with large, dark gray fur and orange eyes. He is very protective over me, and now over Yarrow too. Once, when he still didn't trust Yarrow, he actually attacked him.

I'm Xanthe Rowan, little over fifteen years of age, living from day to day, in the darkness, not trusting anyone. And quite frankly, I can say that Wolf is more humane than the others outside.

_Snapdragon Rasputun_

Before leaving, I make sure that Bartholomew was fed and he went potty. I need him every time I leave no matter if I have my friends with me or not. He is my life saver.

Lucky for them, Periglade and Actor shut up. They can be quite annoying at times, but hey, they are teenagers.

I wear tailored jeans, buttoned down shirt and a trench coat. Paraglide wears a long dark coat and Actor wears jeans with a white shirt.

My mom came back and offered us to drive us to the Reapings. Now that's fun. Actor sitting by my mom, Periglade in my lap, with Nadia next to us.

Strangely I am calm; usually I worry a bit that I get reaped, but not now.

Then this girl comes to me with her wolf, and we have a small conversation.

The sky is cloudy, a bit grey, but still good without a parasol.

Our dementor like Escort, Ash-face walks up the stage and starts talking monotonously, seeping our life force away. The fact that this year's twist endangers friends too, is much more devastating.

"May I present you this year's tributes," he says, "Snapdragon Cheskovicz Krassus Rasputun!" Funny how he knows my name. But why did he call me again?

Wait. What?

No no no. Not now, not me! Why? Oh jesus…what about my family? What in the world of seven hell? That's no good…ah goddamit.

_Xanthe Rowan_

After being scold numerous times by Yarrow, we go to the Games.

What I understand about the Games is this.

Every year, children suffer from their ancestor's sins, just so the Capitol will be entertained. Or something like that. The main thing is that it is bad.

Not like I am a genius or anything can't even say I am book smart, but I know what I need to know to survive, and then some trivia things.

Anyways. We get some stares as we go to the square, especially at Wolf, who responds by snarling and growling at the people.

We go and go, until we arrive at the square. I take my seat by the fourteens, just as Yarrow sits down in his pile.

Then I see this guy, he is tall and everything, nothing special, but he has an owl on his shoulder. An owl. He sits diagonally from me, and there is just an empty space close to him.

I see him every Reapings, and he just got the owl. Might as well just ask him.

"Wolf, be on your best manner. That owl will not be your snack."

As an answer, Wolf rolls his eyes.

I move up, next to him. He was talking to his friends, but they had to go to their piles.

"Excuse me, hey," I greet him. Not surpassingly, he notices Wolf first, but then he doesn't get scared, which is notable.

"Hey, what can I help you?" The owl hoots.

"May I ask, why do you have an owl on your shoulder?"

"I'm going blind. I need him to help me," he answers casually. "And why do you have a wolf?"

"He is my friend, kind of your owl for you."

"Ah, I see."

For the time, I have been hearing the Escort talk, but I was not really listening to him.

"May I present you this year's tributes are ,Snapdragon Cheskovicz Krassus Rasputun!"

The boy with owl walks up.

Wow, mayb I shouldn't have been so curious about his owl.

"And Xanthe Rowan!" I am surprised he could say my name.

_Snapdragon Rasputun_

That's no good. I have been Reaped, leaving my family to its end. You see, I was the link between mom and Nadia. Nadia never talks to anyone, but me, and mom gets sometimes panicky, and then it is total pandemonium. And now, turns out they will be part of the Games. Just what I needed.

I am fed up with the Capitol. Filthy rich, controlling us like pawns in the Games. No one dares to mess with the bosses' kids, no one wants the kings and queens mad at them, but the pawns?

They are replicable.

We shall see how replicable some Capitol personals are.

Nadia and mom came in, mom in tears, Nadia with a blank face.

"Oh Snapdragon, what will happen?" She asked, on the verge of tears.

"Rivers of blood will cover the Earth," I say naturally. I had enough, done pretending.

I am done acting the Mr. Nice-guy. That's over.

"Each and every one of them will be fed to the monsters of the forest. The ones our friends made. No one will survive the carnage we will bring."

I am dang sure I scared my mom to death, but Nadia is unaffected. She was listening to me, fiddling with something inside her hands.

I wonder about her drawings about Ash-Face and the running girl. Something tells me they are…Oh my god!

When they were about to leave, she gave it to me.

But I couldn't ask her that one question…how did she know?

_Xanthe Rowan_

My first visitor, quite unexpectedly, is the Escort.

"Ms. Rowan, your familiar will be a problem."

"The meaning of this?"

"Well, he is an animal capable of ending a life. You have to leave him behind, or take him with you and he will most probably end up dead in the Capitol."

"I'm disinclined to acquiesce to your request."

"Miss, please, don't make the choice harder."

"Sir, I am not. I simply cannot afford to lose a friend. Besides. According to the 'twist' friends and families of the tributes will be put in the Games. What does it matter if it is now or later that Wolf will be in the Arena?"  
>He thinks about him.<p>

"You're argument is valid with true facts. I shall do my best to opens the Head Gamemakers' eyes."

"I'd appreciate it," I answer.

With a gentle nod of his head, he bids goodbye and leaves.

Next is Jeffrey, looking as fine and dandy as ever.

"You!" He points at me.

"Yes Jeffrey?" I answer calmly and innocently.

"You have infiltrated my residence and you have taken my possessions!" He accuses me.

"Please, I am just a street rat; I do not understand long words."

"You stole from me."

"You are to be proven wrong. I have taken back my items _you _have stolen from_ me_ and I took revenge. Nothing major, just the usual. But of course, you cannot prove that."

He took out a voice recorder.

"You have been busted."

I cock an eyebrow. "You didn't turn it on."

"What?" He shrieks.

"Sorry honey, maybe next time. Oh, and I'd be on the lookout, you will end up in the Games too."

My last visitor is Yarrow, his red cheeks, nose, and eyes clearly give away that he was crying.

I owe him a lot.

He was a homeless orphan too, but he took me in. And when Wolf came along, he took him in too. He'd give his life to me, and I'd do the same for him.

It is rather depressing that he will be in the Games too.


	8. The Rich Man's Fate

_Tobias Sandler_

I bet you know the story of Little Red Riding Hood, right? The one about the sweet little girl, the grandma, the woodcutter and the big bad wolf? It is full of lies.

First of all, wolves do not have human characteristics. They can't talk, walk on two legs, but pretend it can. Pretend it talked to the girl, went to the granny's house and at her. False. One cannot eat a person in whole without cutting them up to tiny pieces. Pretend they can. Then the wolf's stomach should burst open because the granny is larger than the wolf's stomach. Pretend that's possible. Red Riding Hood comes around, and the wolf eats her too. They wouldn't survive, because of the lack of oxygen and the acid. Let's pretend they won't die. Here comes a random woodcutter, kills the wolf and saves the two ladies. Not. He cannot cut up a wolf's stomach with an axe without hurting the insides.

So the whole story is illogical and stupid.

But the parents of District 7 tell the story in a different version.

They say that the Big Bad Wolf will come if you misbehave and eat you.

Now I'm good, because I know that is impossible, but then I did not know.

I had a rather evil brother, and with his friend he loved terrorizing me in my young years.

For example, this one day when he was tasked to babysit me, he told me this story about a curse that turns people into werewolves and all that. He talked about it like a subject in school, and I was young, of course I believed him. Note on the side, around that time, three or four Lupus Supreme were on the loose, killing people. Lupus Supreme are giant, I mean, giant wolves. About the size of lions.

So his friend went outside to get something from his car, and these sounds I heard. Snarls and howls, shrieks and tearing of flesh. My brother didn't allow me to go the window and see, instead he was shocked at whatever he saw. He told me to run upstairs, and told me to never come out. He told me about the Lupus Gigantus, the werewolf story, and how that is one of them. He gave me a book about them and told me to read it, in case of emergency. So I ran up the stairs, hearing the windows break and my brother scream as animal noises of rage were heard by my ears. I ran upstairs, locked the door and got under my bed. I started reading the book, the hows and whys of lycanthropes and how to defeat them. Iron. I didn't have iron, but I surrounded myself with plushes and anything I thought was magical and could protect me. The steps creaked, heavy breathing was heard. Sniffing and growling. If I wasn't scared enough, now I was terrified for life. My door opened and I only saw the legs. Feet with long, bloody and fleshy claws, long bushy tail tainted with blood and saliva dripping. I managed to shut myself up, not making a sound. The monster howled and left the house. I didn't come out. I locked myself, wondering how he opened my door, put all the heaviest things I can before the door, and didn't come out for three days.

Three days without food or bathroom or anything. Three fucking days.

And then came a forest fire and killed my family. I survived because of a school project.

Well, that sums up my family history, my current state, and the reason why I am twisted.

I got orphaned, lived in an orphanage for six years, until I got adopted by this woman who is only eleven years older than me.

My relationship with Michelle is more like an older sister to younger brother, than mother to son.

Then there is Aileen, my bimbo friend.

She and I are opposite, but we just…click, I guess.

Maybe because she is dark too.

She is tall and blonde, happy and hyper. I don't really know why we are friends, guess that's life.

"Hey Tobi, do you know where I put my paperwork?" Michelle asks me as she searches for her work like a maniac.

"You already gave it to your boss yesterday, remember? He even gave you a little raise because you finished early."

She stopped.

"Oh, are you sure?"

"Yes Michelle, I am sure."

She snaps her fingers. "That's right, okay, I remember now."

Michelle sits down next to me. "Would it kill you if you'd call me mom sometimes?"

"No, but it could be arranged," I tell her. "I'm meeting up with Aileen, do you need anything from anywhere?"

"Dinner would be nice."

"But it's Reaping day, remember?"

"So?"

"I have a bad feeling, but oh well. Would pizza satisfy your hunger?"

"Perfect," she says.

"Okay then, I'm out," I say and hug her.

I should be meeting up with Aileen to go the Reapings. I don't understand something, the age old question. Why does the Capitol do this? Sending kids for their ancestor's faults. I mean, if that would go for ten years and then stop, that's fine. But for a century? No no. Send their kids in or something, but not us kids.

"Hey Tobias," Madame Bimbo, aka, Aileen greets me.

"Aileen," I say and nod as a sign of greeting. "You look ravishing."

She really made herself look good, every girl can do that.

But now she was wearing a dark beige short skirt with white leggings and a flower in her long, platinum blonde hair. Haha, platinum blonde, fits her perfectly, because she can be very blonde at times.

"You too look good, "she said.

"I know I do," I smile. She elbows me.

"Shut up. Do you want to go before the Reapings?"

"Order pizza for dinner? I invite you over for dinner, accept it?"

"Well, I don't know…"

"Accept it."

"Okay, fine, thanks."

_Madelyn Rosegold, District 7_

Money spins the world. Money talks and bs walks. Money talks and dogs bark. They all mean the same thing. If you have money, you have power.

And my parents clearly know this. They are one of the richest families of District 7; the other two being the Aoks and Loselas. They are all the same, they are rich, but want to be richer.

But they failed.

They were having all their children trained hard for the Games, stupid greedy people, they wanted to win but their kids always died in the bloodbath. Pathetic.

Not like my family doesn't want to be richer, but we are actually smart. We have connections, people everywhere. Sort of like a mini mafia.

And in the middle, me.

Madelyn gets whatever she wants. If she needs a new computer, she gets one, if she wants a horse, she gets one, she needs a good looking butler? Can do.

It feels good being the boss here, thanks to my irresistible cuteness and my strong will, I haven't found one man on Earth who said no to me, and got away without permanently losing an ear…or at least an ear.

People fear me, good, they shall.

But my mom, dad, aunts and uncles, cousins and all that, they adore me. I'm their favourite.

Ha, well, either you are born to be a winner or not.

That is why I decided to go to the Games…or my mom said to my dad about how I am sure to win the Games and all that shit, but she really used psychology to implant the idea of doing the Games and becoming famous.

My parents are weird. I know they love me, but it seems like…they use me. And it bothers me, worries me…

They pamper me, talk to me like a baby, and I dislike that.

Well, not the pampering part, that I like.

I mean, now they are like 'Who's the cutest girl on the world?' and five minutes later they are like 'You get no lunch until you run ten miles!'

But I get everything I want, when I want, where I want, no matter how crazy that is, so that is good…I guess.

And then I'm homeschooled. I was good with that, people might get very envious of me, but then, as I grew, and I was feeling alone. And no matter how much money I had, money doesn't buy friends.

That I why I started 'disappearing' from view. I run away into the forest, where the wildos dwell, like bunnies, dears, frogs and other animals, and socialize. I grew to like them, their furry lives and squeaking noises when I tickle or play with them.

I tell my secrets to them, my problems. Haha, like they will understand or anything, but still…it feels good.

Then there are times when my mom arranges 'meetings' with other children. Every time it turns out it is a fight. I win, I get what I want; if I lose, I get locked in the basement as long as I finish the Training Course.

But then that doesn't work anymore, I figured out how to leave.

Then my mother would start yelling at me for whatever reason, and what do I do?

Talk back of course. She thinks just because she is my mother, she is a god compared to me? Bitch please. I am young, yes, but nonetheless I am a human just like her, so I want the same respect I give to her. Who does she think she is? You know, besides my mother? I mean, looking at who can do greater damaged, obvious I am the winner. Just by running away, I can cause a pandemonium.

Oh well, at least now she knows how to talk to me.

I feel rather alone right now, watching movies while my parents are away. They hired a babysitter to babysit me, but he left me with his other subjects to look after, so I am babysitting those two kids.

God I hate kids.

"Stop that," I tell one of them calmly.

The other ones running around with my old picture book from when I was young. "Hey, watch it! That's mine."

Then I see what he did to it.

He drew all over it. All over Puddlay, Morphica, and all the other fairies!

"You fucking ugly bitch!" I slam him to the ground, somehow gently. "Why did you do that?"

"But it's a drawing…"

"It's stupid, just like your ugly face is!" I roar at him.

"Bu-but mommy says I'm beautiful."

"Shut the fuck up kid, you are ugly as hell," with that, I grab him by the hair and carry him to the kitchen. For some reason, my mother has a cage inside a secret room in the kitchen. I get the cage out and put the kid in it.

I look at the other one, as he stares at her brother.

"I will get another cage and lock you up in the dark, where the Big Bad Wolf will eat you." I snarl at her.

I make popcorn for three, give one to the caged one, one sitting silently, playing with her dolls and one for me. It is movie night time.

I watch like…five, I guess, five movies. The last one being a horror movie with lycanthropes. Oh how I enjoyed their screams…both the movie and the little kids.

Anyways, my babysitter got back, I was pretending to sleep on the floor with the two kids outside the cage, the cage was hidden and everything was perfect.

I even left him a note about those two being wonderful and all.

That stupid bastard doesn't suspect a thing…

Tobias Sandler

Well, I ordered two pizzas, one for Michelle, she likes the pineapple ones, and one for Aileen wants the mushrooms and cheese one, but she never eats the whole thing, so I'm just going to eat her leftovers. After that, we go to a cafe and enjoy a nice little break. She is obsessed with coffee, but I'm satisfied with green tea.

Oh well, I guess whatever tickles her peaches.

"Tobias," she begins, and by the note of her voice I know she wants something.

"If it is money you desire, I am not a public bank."

"No, not that. It's just…at least a dozen girls asked you out."

"So?"

"And you didn't accept any of them."

"That is correct."

"But why?"

"Well," I say after a sigh, "you never asked." Her eyes brighten up. "Not like my answer would change or anything."

"Oh…"

"Come on, do you really want to date me? I mean, are you sure? I'm bipolar, sarcastic, sadistic, with no sense of moral whatsoever."

"Well no, but you _are_ dashing."

"And you are gorgeous. Easy as that."

Our Escort, Taylor, dressed up as a douchebag, take offence.

Spray tan, short shorts, wife beater, sandals, gold thingies and all that.

"Yo District 7! What's up?" He yells, not even bothering to talk into the mic.

Ass.

He tells us the twist.

Fucking ass.

He reaps my name.

I will kill him.

I say, and walk up, holding the grudge to kick him so hard his balls that they will end up in his mouth.

Madelyn Rosegold

Even if I wasn't really assigned for babysitting, I got paid.

I mean, he got paid, but then I blackmailed him with dandy little things like pictures, videos and voice records. You know, all the fun stuff that tells that he is cheating on his girlfriend, buying drugs, all that goodness.

First he wanted to give me half, but he had to give me the whole thing, if he wanted to go without a gashing wound.

And now the Reapings! Yaay! Not.

Stupid Capitolians. Stupid Capitol. Stupid Escort and stupid Mentors. The whole thing is retarded and a waste of work. Instead of sending kids to death, why don't they make them work all day with minimal salary? Ah, stupid people are stupid.

Young little Taylor is his usual self. A complete idiot. I mean really, who wants to see him wearing a wife beater that doesn't even cover his stomach?

Ass.

Anyway.

He comes and dooms the friends of the tributes and reaps Tobias Sandler.

Sandler?

That was a famous family. Until a forest fire killed each and every one of them. Well, he is the last survivor.

But he too will die, because Taylor said my name.

Tobias Sandler

I would say that I am surprised, but I am not. I actually look forward to the Games, killing people and animals, coming back victorious. But then I have to save Michelle and Bimbolina too. And then kill Madelyn and other little boys and girls. Oh the fun.

Aileen rushes in, hugging me, but just the wrong way. She clings to my neck, basically choking me.

"Aileen, Aileen," I manage to say as I poke her sides.

She doesn't say anything but cry. Just cry endlessly.

After her, Michelle comes in; she was sobbing, but not crying.

"Well Michelle, looks like our dinner party is cancelled," I greet her cheekily, earning a slap.

"You will come back alive. No matter what. Cheat if you need to; and young man, do not talk to me like that," she scolds me, and collapses on the couch.

"I could do that, mom."

Madelyn Rosegold

Well that surprise. Looks like my parents do care about me a tiny bit. Mom is definitely sad, and dad is trying to suppress his depression.

"I'm proud of you," he finally says.

Thanks I guess. You are proud of me because I go into the Games and die? Great.

"Remember our training," he says. _Our _training? Please, he didn't do anything for me.

"Just shut up," I finally say. "You weren't there. You weren't helping me. It's like you weren't even my parents! And you know what? I am pretty sure you wanted me to be in the Games."


	9. From Rags to Riches

_Cylinder, District 8_

It is funny how everyone is a hypocrite. They say they don't judge a book by its cover. They do. I am the prime example.

People might describe me as a fine young man, but how wrong they are.

When I showed up to the Fairly Tales Theatre ten years ago, people loved me. I was this small kid who had a talent with music and was a natural actor. I introduced myself, but people forgot my name quickly. Now I am referred as Cylinder, because of how I look.

I always wear formal clothing. Dress shoes, dark purple hued trousers, a white or black long sleeved shirt with a light grey vest and a same dark purple coloured over coat. I also sport a dark purple cylinder with a horizontal black line at the base, and a cane. That is why I got the nickname of Cylinder, because of my top hat.

And also because of my lovely posh accent.

Everyone trusts me, thinks of me as a good person. Let them think that.

Now I'm the writer of plays here, do the music, and occasionally give concerts.

I play the piano and the violin, both that are made to mesmerize the listeners and transport them into a whole other world.

People who dislike me think of me as a pest or a Mary-Sue. That is quite laughable. First of all, a Mary-Sue is a novel character who is too good to be true. Well, I am alive and kicking. Also, a Mary-Sue has no flaws, but I do have my flaws. I am allergic to lactose, I have poor blood circulation, and I am hydrophobic. I am extremely afraid of water, any kind of water.

Every bath or shower is a torture to me.

It also seems like some animals dislike my presence.

We are performing one of our best plays, titled Pirate Sonata.

It is about a boy who gets kidnapped by pirates. He is forced to work or to the plank, so he chooses to live. He works without a word, learning the pirate way of life, until one day, the captain has a loud conversation with one his workers. As it turns out, the man he is arguing with is the brother of the kidnapped boy. Both of them get sent away to a lonely island to die. They meet with the local people, trying to work out a way of talking, trying to leave the island.

It has four songs, one when the boy is kidnapped, one on the pirate ship and two on the island.

People love it. I see some of them at every play we do. Maybe it is the story, or the actors. We are a happy bunch.

Just like a large family. Everyone knows everyone, or so they think.

Everyone likes me, except one, Adam. He is actually a kind person, and kind to me, but he thinks I am in a secret organization trying to take over the world or something. He has some conspiracy theories and all about me and my life, but he cannot prove it.

I like him though, he is a good man, clean of any of drugs and drinks, and he lives the perfect life. He always helps me move stuff around, he is just an all around good person.

Though I do say that there is no good story without a conspiracy theory, and so is life.

I walk the streets of the town, taking pictures of major buildings, taking notes of various items, asking people some random questions. You know, the usual. A lot of time I'm around the Justice Building, taking pictures from different views and angles, noting the people around, some potential routes to leave quickly and all that.

Someone taps my shoulder.

It's Adam, not surprisingly.

"What can I help you with young man?"

"I saw you taking pictures Cylinder," he says seriously.

"And I saw you drinking coke yesterday morning at nine thirty," I answer just as seriously, but then smiling. "I'm just taking pictures, what's wrong with that?"

"Nothing really, if it is one. You are taking at least a dozen pictures of the Justice Building, scribbling notes in your little book. I don't what you are planning, but I keep an eye on you."

I show him my notebook. "This one?"

"Yes."

"Then read it if you want to," I give him my little notebook. He was quite surprised. I can almost hear him say 'This was easier than I thought…'

"Uhm, 'kay…" he reads my notebook, a bit dumbfounded with the truth. "I'm sorry," he says and gives the notebook back. "I didn't know you were also drawing as a hobby. I guess I just was a bit…wrong about you?" He says shrugging. "Sorry."

"It's okay. Everyone thinks of me as a criminal mastermind trying to take over the world. It's my looks."

"Can I see your picture some day?"

"Sure, of course."

Adam's a twenty two years old young man with dark gold wavy hair, dark blue eyes, a muscular build, and a way of appearing in a pleasant manner. He is the one monitoring the equipment we have in the theatre.

Now that my research about the Justice Building is complete, I can go and do the plans of planting the bomb in there.

Adam is half right about me being in a secret organization trying to take over the world.

I'm in the DC, Down with the Capitol. It is an organization inspired by the failed uprising of Miss Everdeen. We want to throw over the Capitol and everything with it; starting with the destruction of important buildings, high ways, and other major places in each District.

This way the Districts will be isolated, and individual DC forces will be able to take over control.

After that, we go against the Capitol.

You might think that we have no chance, that the plan has a lot of holes in it, but please, you do not know how many people we have all over Panem.

_Esilka Majorka, District 8_

I love when people complain about their life. Oh my parents are shouting, oh my goldfish died, oh I am grounded for a week, oh my parents are divorcing.

They act like the world is about to collapse.

As if they know what the world has for them. The kinds of pain and suffer, horror and fear, the nervousness until you are sick.

Because they don't.

They don't know what it feels like to have a mother work from dusk to dawn. They do not know what if feels like growing up without a father, and with a mother you barely see. They don't know how it feels not to eat for days.

They know nothing.

And today, when it happened, they are even worse. Being assholes and jerks, no wonder I did that.

This is what happened.

My mother is working twenty-four seven, without an end, just so we could live from day to day. When you are poor in District 8, you are poor forever. No matter what you do.

Mom didn't allow me to work, even though I was doing nothing all day, because we couldn't afford school, but still, I managed to work around it.

I was going to school, working there, studying there, then after school I had another job.

Since I was working too, we were noticeable better. A bit more and better food, maybe an extra set of socks and shoes, maybe a nice shirt or something. I was also making my own clothes so mom didn't need to buy those for me.

I was working in a nice little factory, making clothing for shops all over Panem.

So yesterday night, or today morning, which ever tickles your peaches, I was coming back from work, with a really pretty dress I bought for my mom. It was peach coloured, stopping right under your knees, with white symbols. It was worth the money since it was my mom's birthday.

I got him, and what greeted me? A pool of red blood.

Signs of suicide everywhere. Pills, ropes, bloody knives… and my dead mother.

She couldn't take it anymore, no more pain, no more suffer, so she cut her veins up.

First she tried to take pills and sleep forever, but she has a natural defense against the. Then she tried to choke herself, she was too weak and scared of death. Finally, she just cut herself up.

On her birthday.

When I bought a nice dress for her.

If that's not good enough for me, I tell you about my family.

We were a normal family, not too rich, but not poor. A mother, a father and three kids.

My biological father went mad when his sister got reaped, and killed my younger sister and shot himself dead. Years of depressing. Then came a man my mom trusted. Turns out he only used us and got away with all our money. My older died of malnutrition.

We were such a pretty family, but then 'love' destroyed it all.

Mother was so beautiful. Long brown hair and brown eyes, smooth skin, always smiling. Now she was a wreck of her old self.

I too, was much prettier then down. I had light brown hair and dark green eyes. I looked like my father too, sadly.

Now, now I am a ghost. Pale skin, dark circles around my eyes, I'm so skinny I am nothing more than skin and bone, my hair is starting to fall out.

As if we weren't bad enough.

Now my mother is dead.

I couldn't afford a regular funeral for her, I'm lucky I could strike a deal to have her body incinerated as she always wanted

I decided to skip school and go to work instead. When my mind is clouded, I just work. In work, I just become a mindless puppet, doing the work, not thinking at all.

"Hey Silky, I heard your momma's dead," Zickfred, that ass taunts me.

"Yes, yes she did. She committed suicide on her birthday," I answer coldly.

"Bet you are sad, what, you will suicide too?"

I grab a pair of scissors and smash it in his hand.

"Nah, I am more like the murderer type. Make a sound and you are dead."

He just runs away, biting his mouth not to make a sound.

Zickfred knows better than to mess with me now.

The one person that looks at me normally, Ian comes around.

"I heard what happened," he says quietly and hugs me. "I'm sorry."

That won't give her back, but at least you are the only one with a heart around here.

"Thank you."

Ian is already living his life as a grown-up, with his beautiful girlfriend Elena.

He _is_ the only one with a heart around here. He cared about me from the beginning, helping me with work, protecting me when I needed to be protected, and all that. And now he sits with me, and works with me. We talk, he tears up, we smile. He is a very nice person to have around.

I make sure to give him and Elena something when I'll have the money, as a sign of thanks.

"Uhm, if you want to, you know, you can live with us," he offers.

I smile at him. "Thank you, I gladly accept."

Cylinder

Well now, there are a lot of people on the Square. A little bit too much. As in, not only teens are here but parents too. That is rather…weird. Peacekeepers should do something about it, it makes me feel uncomfortable.

Our District Escort, Melanie, dressed in white silk comes on the stage.

She was a beautiful lady…once. Now she is an old waste of skin, thinking she is young. At least she wears something that covers her from head to toe. Last year she showed a bit too much.

I think it is funny how I am the only eighteen years old from our theatre. Everyone is older, some way older than me.

And here I am with my top hat and cane, waiting until this ends.

"Welcome, welcome all of you," she says with her accent. "It is once again time to choose a courageous young man and woman to represent District 8 in the Hunger Games."

I get distracted with my friend, Kameleon, a…friend of mine from DC.

He isn't really a friend, more like a companion. Scratch that, he is an annoying leech with bonuses. He is fifteen or so, and he moves like a snake. No one hears him, no one sees him, only after he strikes.

Because of him, the next thing I notice is my name being called.

"William Taylor is your name?" Kameleon asks cheekily.

Esilka Majorka

There aren't many things I can do. Work work work and more work. I cannot allow myself to think about anything but work. I have used almost all of our, I mean, my money for her incineration, so I have to work extra hard to get back the money. I even told the boss that I will work after hours too, of course, for more money.

I owe Ian much. Since he couldn't convince me to take a day off, he said he will stay with me. He doesn't need to go to Reapings, but I do. Screw that, and the Capitol. I'm staying here and working.

Too bad that some time after, those Peacekeepers came, and with not-so kind words, dragged me to the Reapings, where, no so surprisingly, my name was reaped.

To tell the truth, I felt this happening. No normal person would have a life like this.

William Taylor

No need to tell, everyone from the Theatre came and had their goodbies.

Emrbisia, the lady who makes dresses. Boony, the cheerful girl with the make-up. Kassa, she was the one with the money matters. Clyde, our little bag of endless creative. Even Kiki, the girl with the monkey came and gave their goodbyes to me.

The last one from the Theatre is Adam.

"Look, I am very sorry that all this time we knew each other I thought that you were some kind of evil person. I just…have a hard time trusting people like you." I cock an eyebrow. "Not like that, just…people with top hats and canes. And now you are sent into the Games, and…well, you'll have choices to make. One of them will be to save me or leave me dying."

What is he talking about again?

"Why are you telling me this?"

"You'll have the whole Theatre to worry about, since we will be sent in the Arena to you. So…you know…it won't be easy to save everyone, and since I was always hateful towards you, you can-"

"I will not not try to save you," I cut into him. "You are basically telling me to let you die when you have a family and friends you'll be missed. The answer is simply no."

"But…"

"Your argument is invalid, and I do not want to continue this conversation on this topic."

Our conversation after this was about the Games and all the knick-knack in it.

Last person to come in was Kameleon, and he only said one thing, with a wry smile.

"We are in."


	10. Not Two,but Three!

_Codie Wilya, District 9_

My everyday life is always the same. Nothing special. You could say, I have no colour in my life, but that's okay. It is better than having a horrible life or anything. Besides, when I need some action, I just go and visit Liam.

He is like my brother, since I'm an only child. He is the odd one out from his family. His parents and brothers are calm and normal, compared to him. Liam is reckless, jumping into action without thinking of consequences. Once he almost lost his right hand because he forgot that the device was on.

Though, we somehow fit into each other's life. He is the action, and I am the thinker. He urges me to be more risk taking, I beg him to think once in a while without getting knee deep in trouble.

Like that one time when he got lost in the factory…He found something shiny and went to get it, totally ignoring the group. I noticed his absence, and I was the one finding him. No need to tell that he got in big trouble.

He sometimes invites himself over. Those are the fun times. My mom cooking for three, randomly a fourth person appears. My dad bought tickets for three for the movies, a fourth one appears. We are cleaning the house, he comes in and leaves.

If he wouldn't be around, I'd die of boredness, not kidding.

And now I am following him around.

"So why am I following you around?"

"I don't know. You don't want me to get in trouble?"

"You _are _the trouble."

"True. So I heard the Mr. Durel sleeps with a pig. I just want to be sure…"

If it is a pig, I'm good, but if it is a boar…

Liam is sometimes…not telling everything. Or generalizing some things. Like once, he told me he found a canine. Turns out it was a rabid Chihuahua. Or that one time he said he found a reptile, it was an adorable gecko. Okay, the last one wasn't bad, but if you have a friend like Liam, it's like having ten enemies that want to help you.

Not fun.

"Look look!" He whispers loudly as he watches the door of Mr. Durel's house. "Watch closely…"

"Go on Mr. Fatty!" He says cheerfully as he lets the pig out. Okay, it was a pig.

There is something weird about Durel. He is fat, all kind looking and all that…like a stereotypical insane men craving for young children's meat.

"Bye bye fatass," he says, more like murmurs and shoots the pig down.

Holy shit! He fucking shot the pig down!

I grabbed Liam and ran like hell.

That bastard! I knew he is an evil sack of maggots!

And I started my sailor talk, barnacles!

Aah shit…

If he saw us, he will come after us.

Let's just hope he is really fat, not just faking it.

"Dude dude, why are we running?"

"He killed a pig."

"Yeah, a pig. Animal, food? You know, we eat pigs?" He asks with sarcasm.

"Some do, but some, because of their culture, cannot eat pigs."

"Oh whatever."

"No, not whatever. If he saw us, he is likely to hunt us down too!"

"Codie, calm down, we are in District 9 you know, we make the food more edible that is sent from 10 and 11."

"I know, but killing the animals is done in 10, and not here."

"Oh whatever, stop worrying that much."

"When I am inside four walls, I will stop worrying. But promise me something, keep this a secret."

"Whatever you say Codie."

"Promise it."

"I promise."

Well we went home, trying to forget the whole piglet thing, but one that was seen cannot be unseen. Except when you die or get a horrible concussion, but I wouldn't risk it.

In my room, I was drawing some landscapes, something I'm actually good at, and Liam was singing and dancing for fun.

"Sugar and spice and everything nice wasn't made for only girls. GI Joe in a panty hose is making way to the one and only… King for a day princess by dawn! King for a day in a leather thong!" He was actually a good singer, and pretty much careless, since he sings like in public, and no, he is not gay despite what I thought the first time. He is just…Liam.

"Do you even know how GI Joe is, you nimrod?"

"Some guy in the past…" he says, not stopping his dancing.

"Sing something else than?"

"Well I've got a fever, a non-believer, I'm in a state of grace," he sings to me, making faces, "for I am the Caesar, I'm gonna seize the day! Well call up the bashee, hey hey, hey hey hey hey hey!"

"Oh Liam, you dunce."

Liana Black

I hate this District.

I hate this town.

I hate this school.

No one in the District has school today, no one, but us.

Our principle said that since the Reapings are after school, we can still have school because knowledge is power.

I'll show her power when I shove her ruler up her ass.

Stupid principle.

And guess what? We are writing a test today. It is about past Hunger Games, which I am home at.

_Who were the winners of the past five Games and in what District were they from?_ Easy.

99th Hunger Games was won by Armando Ire, from District 3.

98th Games was won by Emaralda Glytter from the first District.

97th Games was won by Inda Greene from 11.

96th Games was won by Titus from District 7.

And 95th Games was won by Penny Pin from District 9.

_Who won the first three Quarter Quells?_

The first was one by Sebastian Phantompine.

The secound was won by Haymitch Abernathy.

The third one was won by the Everdeen girl, Peeta Boy, Finnick, and some others.

This was easier than I thought. The sad thing is that some people don't even know these kinds of easy trivia questions. Just memories the winners. Not that hard.

I decide to pass notes with Sealia, my best friend. One of my best friends. The other one is Alima, but she is sick, with some epic one day sickness. Knowing her, she is faking it, that lucky boob.

_The test was flipping easy._

_Tell me about it._

_I bet you cheated._

Sealia looks at me with a cocked eyebrow.

"Me?" she mouths as she acts all dramatic.

"Yes you," I nod and whisper back at her.

"Ms. Black, is there something you want to share?" Our teacher ask me.

"Yes, yes there is," I say and stand up. "This test is full of obvious answers that do not require much thinking but memorizing."

"And why were you talking to Ms. Fei?"

"She was finished too, and actually it was not talking, more like a whisper of two words. She was finished too, and we did not disturb anyone...I hope. But if we did, well, that is life. Suck it up."

"Ms. Black, language please."

"Like people do not use worse at school. I can name at least four people right now that are thinking these kinds of things at this moment."

The bell rings.

"Turn in your papers class, you are dismissed, no homework."

Like finally after school.

Before the Reapings, we decide to have some girl time, you know, going to malls, manicure, pedicure, checking guys out, pumping some iron, watching guys pumping iron, train, beat up people, the usual.

There is a thing going around here. If you are born rich, you stay rich, and that my friend, is true.

Not like we are rich, but we can afford to go to the movies any time we want to.

I wonder what unlucky kid will go to the Games. I always wonder about that and make sure that if I dislike them, record their suffering.

That is one thing no one understands. Why am I so mean all the time?

Well, my first few years of elementary school, where the social time of a child is most important, was fucked up. No one believed me that I'd end up like this, but guess what? I did. So we moved away, but I am still that sarcastic sadistic bitch, and I like it.

"Oh look at Lania," I hear someone whisper, "She's being all posh again."

We were in a shop, looking for a dress.

"I have ears you know," I answer back, not even bothering to turn around.

"And I care because?" Oh, it is Essi, the class whore.

She is that typical Barbie doll. Small, plastic, and basically community use.

"Because someone might just cut your tongue out."

"As if you would," she says, rolling her eyes.

"Bitch don't push me."

"Ooh I am so scared," she mocks me.

I sigh, and shake my head.

Inside a shop isn't really the best place to pluck her eyes out.

"Well, you better be," I tell her and pinch her neck, more precisely a nerve on her back that paralyzes her for a long time. "Call me when you know how to hold your tongue," I say and proceed to the check out where the girls are waiting for me.

Alia bought a light purple dress with a flower head dress, and Sealia bought a pair of white high heels.

"Sup girls," I nod at them as I give the white dress to the saleswoman.

"Nothing much, discussing our love interests," Alia says, shrugging.

"I call Conrad and or Antal," I inform them.

You see, I cannot decide between them.

Conrad is the athletic type of a guy, and Antal is the more artistic type. I'm not saying that their personalities do not bleed over the other, but one of more than the other.

Conrad is just a year older than me but I don't care. He is not the tallest, but still pretty tall, with reddish brown hair and dark eyes, he is more like the runner type, with lean body and large amounts of stamina, but he is strong nonetheless. He does cross country, track and field, basketball, used to do wrestling, he does both American and European footballs, and he does cheer too.

Antal is the muse guy. He paints, draws, and writes poems and stories. He has short spiky brown hair with bronze eyes, or bronzish, I just like to call it bronze eyes, and he wears glasses. He usually wears beige pants and a shirt with semi formal pants. He can talk in two languages perfectly, which is quite a thing since learning a language is only allowed in the Capitol, except when it is in the family. He doesn't do sports that much, but he can be seen in the gym lifting weights or on the field playing soccer.

Now because of the girls I cannot stop thinking about them…

Jodi Archer

Well there are ups and downs in life, the dark and the light side to it, everything. Take us for example. We live on the border between District 9 and 10, and not once mom brings home cow milk. _Real_ cow milk, not the shit people buy from shops.

Ha, I remember the first time little Phillip drank cow milk. He spent his whole day on the toilet, poor thing. Cow milk is much more…filled, than the milk from the shop; much more nutrients and fats and all that good stuff.

Having four brothers, and not necessarily the generous ones, I had to learn how to cause pain with minimal force. Also, you know how much girl stuff I have, zero. Or minimal.

Phillip, the youngest one, he was a bundle of surprise. This is his first year of the games, and he is very jumpy. He even shrieks when someone calls him by his full name, a habit I am used to. He is a very quiet person, keeping things to him, but he has a special way of showing his feelings. He seems to be fond of flowers and vegetation, so it is not rare to see vase full of flowers.

Greg and Faranell, our twins, are the fun ones. They look the same, since they are monozygotic, but their personalities…ying and are the exact opposite of each other. Greg is like my mom, kind and caring, mostly generous but likes to be mean for the fun of it. He usually keeps things organized and does all the math things.

Faranell is like my dad, tall, robust, towering above me and Phillip, and then spits on us. He did only once, but I made sure he understood not to do that again. He is fun loving, sometimes overly protective, but also one of the wild ones.

Those two always treat Phillip and I like babies, and sometimes it is quite annoying, but you know, what are brother's for? This is their last Reapings.

Then there is my eldest brother Matt. Last year was his last Reapings, and he was quite revealed it was him, but filled with sorrow when the girl he loved was Reaped. Sad, but he learnt to move on. Since then, or should I say, since the world is round, he was kind of the heartless one. Sorry, not heartless, but he has his emotions under control, total control. He can tell you off with the straightest face that just sends shivers up your spine. He takes virtually everything seriously, but unfortunately for him I know all his tickle spots.

The fun thing about living on the border is that we can go to the farms in 10 without problem and do whatever a citizen there could do.

That is how Amanda and Sorell comes into the picture.

Amanda is a border-liner, the term we made up for people living on borders, and she was my first friend. She is a petite girl with dark dreadlocks and large brown eyes, and with a booming voice. She is a little dark skinned girl with dark hard hair, and a personality that you cannot not like. And then she goes bipolar and screams at people to move away and all that, but she very nice.

Sorell reminds of the sun dried wheat. She is tanned, tall, with hazel eyes and sun dried blonde hair. She is the one always smiling and dancing and or singing. I never saw her crying, well, from sadness, she always cries of laughter. She is _very_ to make laugh…and to tickle. She is ticklish everywhere, even her forehead.

So here I am, with four brothers and two girlfriends. Heh, funny.

Oh well.

Did you ever ride a cow? I bet not.

My mother did that all the time according to her, and she taught me how to do it. It is actually not that fun, but once you are lying on the ground, and a three thousand pound monster is coming at you with at least twenty five miles per hour, it is pretty scary.

I roll sideways and get on all fours and squish myself through the fences into safe place.

"Sorell, next time try not to kill me?" I ask, shaking mud from my arm. Yes, I shake my arm. Problem?

"Sorry, Nessie can be a bit stubborn," She says after Nessie stopped her mad charge.

"Let's get her back to her place," I tell her as I open the gate. We made a large pen where we ride cows; it works for most of the time.

Greg comes out of the cow living place…thing, whatever you call it, shirtless, with mud all over him.

"What happened to you?" I ask him as I sit on the fence. Nessie and Sorell came out of and were next to me.

"You can guess twice."

"Fell in mud?" Sorell asks. It is not hard to notice her crush on my brother. Kind of disgusting, but well… that is her life. At least it is only a fan-girl crush, not a real one, thank god.

"Fell in shit," he says drily. "Dorothy was being a boon and pushed me with her head into a pile of dung," he said, upset.

I couldn't resist my urge to laugh, and as I was laughing, I fell on the ground, but no matter what, I couldn't stop laughing like a madman.

"Not funny," Greg grunts.

"For you it may not be, for me…PHA!" I managed to say before having a laugh attack again.

The next thing I knew was that a warm and solidy something slammed into my face with a horrible smell, I answered with a shriek and stopped laughing.

"What was this?" I demand an answer.

"Haha, you know exactly what that is…" He says, grinning.

"Oh no you didn't…"

"Oh yes I did," he says.

"You better run! I will catch you and make you swim in that shit!" I scream at him, jump over the fence and start chasing him.

That is when I remembered Nessie was there, because she tripped me.

Codie Wilya

Well, Reapings ain't fun. Every kid is one place, packed like sardines, terrified to be reaped.

Our Escort, Scott is a gun nut. He is paranoid, needs to take pills, but if it comes to weapons, he knows more than a Distinct 2 clergy.

He has short brown hair and dark swamp green eyes with little stubble on his face. He wears semi formal black shoes, pants, tucked in short sleeved shirt. He is a tall man, covered in muscles from head to toe.

In a way, I look up to him, I don't know why.

I guess he is everything I want to be when I grow up, well, maybe except the paranoid part.

This year's twist is that the people the tributes know will be used in the Games.

Like being in the Games isn't bad enough.

"The male tribute Codie Wilya!" He says the name that dooms Liam and my family.

Me.

I will be in the Games, with all those people that can snap my neck in seconds.

Not only that, I have my friends to worry about.

Liana Black

"Girls, come on now, we don't want to be late for the Reapings. Who knows what will happen," I warn Alima and Sealia.

"Oh fine," Alima pouts.

Our Escort, Scott, is definitely someone to look at.

Tall, handsome, muscular. That man is charming times ten. Too bad he has some issues with his fears. Oh I'd definitely make out with him if no one would see us, but oh well, that is life.

He calls up Codie Wilya, some lanky kid working on farms. Nah, he won't last much.

"The female tribute is Eleonor Hanzel!"

Her name is vaguely familiar to me…she is twelve and…Oh my, she is Alima's sister!

"I volunteer!" I echo.

Wait, echo? I don't echo…

There is another girl, standing up.

First who verbally volunteers, goes first. First who physically appear on the stage will go.

Oh it's on.

Jodie Archer

"I volunteer!" Someone yells with me.

Without thinking, my legs started to run up to the stage.

Like win, I screamed my name into the microphone, but the girl did the same thing.

We said our names at the same time.

Now what?

We both stare at Scott who was reading the book.

"According to this…since you volunteered at the same time, both of you will go to the Games."

Great.

Codie Wilya

Shiver me timbers! I don't think that ever happened. Two girls almost got into a fight on who would volunteer for the little girl. That is kind and all, but who wants to be in the Games, with me as a partner?

Now that I think about it…I don't have many usable skills in for fighting, besides running and climbing.

Me mom and dad come in rushing.

Both were crying, surprisingly.

Mother gave me a leather bracelet as my token.

Father tried to talk about the Games, chances and opportunities, and the major things about killing an animal and making it more edible.

After them, Liam comes in, in tears too.

"What will I do without you?" He asks, smiling.

"First we should figure out how you will come back from the Arena, and then we can talk about that, aye?"

"Aye."

Liana Black

"You just had to volunteer, no?" I snap at what's-her-face.

"Oh I'm sorry I don't let a little girl die."

"Well why didn't you sit down?"

"I'd be in the Games either way dumbass."

"Lock your lips peasant!" I scowl at her, and she slaps me. "Bitch!" I grab her and head-butt her.

Two Peacekeepers rush in and separate us.

"You better separate us! I'll kill that bitch!" One of them stabs me with a syringe.

Slowly, I start to feel better, calmer.

Did that ass just drug me?

Oh look, everything is all hazy…

The Peacekeepers leave and Alima storms in and picks me up in a huge hug.

"I don't know what to say," she says and puts me down. "Thank you very, very much."

After her, mom and dad came, but I can't really remember what happened, and then came Sorealla, or whatever her name is.

I can't even remember how I got here, or why am I at the train station…wait, what?

Jodi Archer

I was lucky the Peacekeepers came in and got her off of me. I don't know what she would've done with me.

It is bad enough we have to share the goodbyes with each other, but she looked drugged, so no further bad things happened.

My two girls came in hugging each other, filled with tears. After them came Matt, looking expressionless, and please don't blame me when I say, but for the first time, it irritated me. He put his hands on my shoulders, sighed, and pulled me into a hug.

"Expect the worst and hope the best. Remember the cow ridings. Keep in mind the weak spots of humans. Eyes, nose, Adam's Apple, solar plexus, crotch, back of the knee…make them die slowly, painfully…like salt on open wounds, make them beg…" he whispered and started to hold me stronger and stronger.

Ah, so he started to kill his emotions so he will not go psycho on us.

Still, a tiny bit scary.

After him the twins, Faranell and Greg, looking exactly a like.

"You still reek," I say.

"No I don't!" One of them shrieks, that is Greg.

The three of us talked for a long time, but still too short, and after them, my parents.

My dad was yelling all over me of volunteering, and then not letting the other girl volunteer for her and all that.

So much for good goodbyes, but then he broke down.

Lovely. Just lovely, District 9 where two girls fought of who to go to the Games.


	11. The  Young and Bold

Aden Starr

I can bet Benete's life that I know better District 10 than anyone else. I am not obliged to tell you why or how, but I just tell you that I am quite the explorer.

I have a good sense of balance and danger. My steps are almost unnoticeable, the shadows welcome me. Great distance shorten in my presence, I jump over gaps on the ground no problem. I'm a fairly good swimmer, climber, and because of my rather short size, I can fit in almost anything, thanks to my flexibility.

I also have a lot of confidence, and a rather optimistic side.

"Come on Ashlee!" I call after my pretty friend.

Ashlee's just turned fifteen some hours ago, so we, Benete and I, decided to show her our Happy Place.

She has long silky brown hair tied in two pigtails with reddish ribbons, with caramel eyes and tanned skin. She looks adorable in person, like someone you could pick up and hug endlessly. Today she wears a blue knee-length dress, and is barefoot. She can be barefoot, there are no thorns, and the rocks are giantous too. Yes, giantous is a word for me.

Benete is a rather cheerful person, but not positive. He is cheerful and depressing, but he likes to sing. Instead of depressing over things, he sings some funny songs.

"Tomato mato-mato tomatomato paledo!" He sings and skips from rock to rock.

He has short spiked up blond hair and brown hair with a scar on his cheek.

I stop to wait up until Ashlee catches up.

"Try to jump from rock to rock like Benete, and don't be afraid to use your arms to fling yourself up to the air. It is quite fun."

"Why are we doing this again?" She asks.

"You turned fifteen you pickle!"

"I'm not a pickle!"

I hear Benete scream and I snap my head towards the noise, and then _Splash!_

"Benete found our happy place."

Where we are, is what I called the Stone Garden of Eve.

It is a barren landscape with white rocks and marvelous ruins of places, with little greenery, but then as you go deeper into the Garden, you see statues of people and animals, trees, bushes, little streams and rivers and benches. You can even smell the river and the vegetation. Then the vegetation versus rock ratios suddenly explodes. A lot of bushes, exotic looking flowers, and smaller animals like rodents and birds, some rocks, and our destination, The Lake.

The Lake itself is big, has a little beach, and exactly where we are going it a place where some of the young and bold do the cliff diving. The slope increases as we go down to the base of the lake.

"Na na, what do you think?" I ask Ashlee has she stands in aw.

"Wow, this is…beautiful," she says, turning around. "This is so…serene, gorgeous. I love it!" She smiles.

I hear someone swimming to us, it's Benete.

"We heard you slipped."

"Oh shush it. I'm all wet and dripping."

"That's what she said," Ashlee giggled.

Benete grunts and takes of his clothing. I open my bag of fortunes, taking out their swimwear, towels, some food and all that fun picnic stuff. Benete snatches his trunks, I take my swim jammer and Ashlee takes her bikinis.

We change separately, carefully having our clothes folded up, well, except Benete's. His is dripping wet; he laid them on a rock to dry.

"Isn't it funny how your birthday is on Reaping Day?" I ask her while floating on the water, eating my apple.

"How is it funny? It is like they send two kids to die on my birthday."

"I don't know. Do I look like I know? No I don't, because if I would look like I know why, I would've given a reason, but since I don't know why, and I do not look like I know why, no, I don't know why, and so I don't give rea-"

"Cannonball!" Benete screams from the top of his lung and land between us, well, landed partially on me.

The force of the landing/impact forced the three of us underwater.

I open my eyes and see Benete's trunks floating in front of me. I snatch it and swim away, getting air some meters away.

"Ahahaha! Your face, they were so funny," he laughs.

"Your face will be even funnier when you see this," I tell him and show his trunks. He stops laughing and looks down, then blushes.

"Aden! Give it back!"

"Come and get it."

He starts swimming and I catch Ashlee blushing at Benete.

"Ass," he takes his trunks away and puts them on.

"Is what Ashlee was staring at."

"What?"

"Shh, not that loud. Yep, she has a little something something for you." I nudge him.

"You think?" He says, suddenly much more quiet.

"I _know_," I reassure him.

He is awkwardly quiet now.

…Oh I get it now.

"You have a little something something too?"

"What? No…" he lies.

"Hey Ashlee! Benete has a crush on you!"

"What? Idiot! Ass! Mofo! Jerk!" He starts pounding at me.

"I am blushing," I say as I grab his arms. Now he starts to kick me. "Continue and you will lose your manliness." He stops.

"Why did you tell her?"

"He confessed!" I look at him smiling. "Come on, you, Romeo."

Anne Scarlette

"Anne! Anne dear where are you?" Aunt Stella calls after me.

She will never find me, not in a year, not even with help.

I'm crumbled up in the attic looking at photo albums of her family.

I've lost both of my parents a long time ago in a large forest fire, and ever since then I live with Aunt Stella, and her son Joseph, who was claimed by the Hunger Games some four years ago.

After that, Aunt Stella started to train me every single day like a Career. First I disliked it, because it meant less time readings books, and more time interacting with people, making my speech skills better and everything.

I can't really remember my family. I had my parents, and an older sister. I only remember my mom faintly, but even the mother in my memory is different from real life. All I can recall is the night of the fire, how it came unexpectedly. Dad and mom had a fight, my brother was wining, and the fires rose. I was covered in wet clothing and then blank. That's all.

Apparently my mom was called Lisa, my father was Jerome, and my brother was Achilles.

But now I like training, the weapon part, where it is me and the weapons only. As it turned out I am a natural with knives in general, throwing knives, but poor with close combat. Well no wonder, with my petite size.

After the photo albums, I start reading a new book, one about treachery and sorrow.

I love reading. It is like, an escape from real life, even though I am reading depressing books. It makes your vocabulary better, gives general knowledge of said topic and everything…

But it also makes me quite emotionless in a sense, in a weird, abstract, not-so emotionless way.

"Anne, Anne dear, are you here?" She asks after she opened the attic door.

She scans the place but she can't see me.

"Anne…"

After some indefinite amount of reading, I went downstairs to find Aunt Stella sitting at the kitchen table with a box of tissues.

"Hey Auntie," I smile. She looks at me, a bit angry but more happy than angry.

"Anne, where were you?"

"Here and there. I was in the house all the time."

I decided to stick around with Aunt Stella, showing sorry that I scared her. She is really crushed; there are no more people in her family but me, so she is quite paranoid about the Games. After that I decide to train some.

There is a training station for the richer ones of course. It is quite good for District 10, we aren't the best doing, but the place her pretty good things. Dead bodies from random farms, hay stacks, some 'weapons'. It is pretty descent.

"Hey Annie, decided to come back?" One of the boys taunt me, but I am too lazy to remember his name.

"Not in the mood Galberd."

"It's Halberd."

"As I said, not in the mood." He stopped me from going to the climbing station.

"Listen, if you win I'll leave you be. If I win, pay."

I look at him with my dead look.

"Whatever pleases you."

Apparently it is a shooting game. Bow and arrow, and then throwing knives. We have a lot of watcher. The better, at least everyone will see him fail.

He shot six of the ten arrows in the middle. He looked at me like he is the best.

I take the bow and the ten arrows. Five of the ten arrows go into the exact middle, breaking the ones before it, the six and seven went to the same place, and the last three went in the middle, separated places.

"If I'd be you I'd run," I tell him.

"Bitch," he side comments.

I grab a knife and stab him to the wall.

"Repeat."

"I said nothing!" He lies.

"Repeat." I move my face closer to his. "I dare you to repeat."

"I didn't sa-"

"Repeat."

"I called you a bitch!" He confesses.

"Good." I say and kick him in the crotch. "Now you know what not to say to me."

Now I'm sure you think of me as a heartless monster.

Which is partially true, but the real the truth is that once you get used to humans, they're boring. Except when they do drama, that's fun. Especially broken hearted girls.

It's like being an all knowing person. So much fun.

Aden Starr

I guess we could've been whipped if we forgot to go to the Reapings. Sucks. I mean, we were having the best time together and such, and shabam comes the Reapings to ruin it. But whatever. Not like I, or Benete, or Ashlee will get reaped or anything. Right?

Our Escort, Elliott, is quite a character. Laughing and joking, he makes the Reapings fun…or more bearable. I mean, it is hard not to laugh or even smile when he steps on the stage. He has long light blond hair tied in a small ponytail, blue eyes, a fading goatee and lightly tanned skin. He usually relieves stress by flinging his ponytail about.

Today he is wearing khakis and a white sleeveless shirt with sandals.

"Hello-bello District 10 of cows and sheep," he greets and people giggle. "The twist in the Fourth Quarter Quell is…basically everyone who knows the tribute will be sent to…play, in the Games. So anyways, the male tribute is Benete Scaffenderfield and the female tribute is Anne Scarlette," he says. "Ooh, Scarlette, a pretty name. Well, come on little munchkins!"

I wasn't reaped, yet _I_ am the tribute.

"I volunteer!"

Anne Scarlette

"Hello-bello District 10 of cows and sheep," he greets and people giggle. "The twist in the Fourth Quarter Quell is…basically everyone who knows the tribute will be sent to…play, in the Games. So anyways, the male tribute is Benete Scaffenderfield and the female tribute is Anne Scarlette," he says. "Ooh, Scarlette, a pretty name. Well, come on little munchkins!"

Oh the irony.

Aunt Stella lost her family in a fire, then her son for the Games, and now she will die with me in the Games.

That sucks...

Aden Starr

Well no need to tell that Benete was upset and grateful, but more upset.

"Why did you volunteer for me?"

"Why does it matter if we both go to the Games?" He stops and pouts, and then he starts again. This time, Ashlee was kind of the peacemaker now.

Benete is a block head. He is just so…illogical! He has like two brothers, and I'm a lonely child, and I do have a better chance of getting them out alive.

The same with my parents, though they were concerned about their owned life too a bit. Oh the beauty of life. Live like there is no tomorrow.

Anne Scarlette

Surpassingly Auntie Stella was my only visitor, and then Halberd, begging for his life. People are so pathetic.

They treat you like trash until they are depending on you. And Halberd is on his knees, crying, begging me to save him.

"Please Annie, please I beg you!"

"Anne."

"Anne, please don't let me die!"

"I'll see what I cannot do…"

**Author's Note: I am SO sorry! My brain decided to commit suicide at the middle of Anne's part, and then I had an exam and four big tests and all that! I am so terribly sorry!**


	12. The Darker Side of Life

Range Wisp, District 11

I hate Reapings; not only because two innocent kids gets taken to their death, but it also messes my day up. I work all the day, I have my plan worked out, for the last step, and here comes the Capitol, with its Reapings, pretending like it is amazing and all that. Well no, it is not.

I want to skip it so bad and continue to work, but I cannot afford that because of my sister Prage. She is eleven and she is always sick, that poor soul. She is one of the reasons I want to work from dawn to dusk. The other one is being poor. I want to have money to at least have food for three days without worrying.

"Range, don't forget the Reapings, it's your last year," my boss, who is just two years older than me, reminds me.

"'kay, thanks." I grab one of the spears and threw it. It goes through perfectly those five fruits I wanted it to hit, and then right into a tree. I grab another spear and start cutting the fruits so they would fall into the hands of the Pickers.

Here where I work, there are two people, the Pickers and Pokers. Pokers are on trees, getting the food to come down. Pickers are the ones who pick them up.

I guess I can say that I am perfect for the job. I'm not that tall, but not short, I am quick on my feet, I have a good balance and all that. It's like I was born to live on trees. I can run on all fours, carefully grabbing branches and steadying my foot as I ascend to the tree tops.

I throw another spear, getting seven fruits, when suddenly the branch I'm standing on breaks and the earth is furiously closing on me.

"Get the net! Get the net!" A worker yells as I fall.

When someone falls, which is quite regularly, we get the net, which is a large piece of well woven fabric that is safe to use for saving falling people.

My hand searches for branches or vines, or anything to grab on.

My heart's thumping in my head, my vision starts to blur. How far was I? Couple hundred meters? No…

My hand catches something and tangles around it. My momentum carries me side ways into the bark of a tree. I slam into it, but I do not continue to fall.

But it feels like I'm not controlling myself. I start to climb up the tree without problem, jumping from branch to branch, swinging and crawling until I'm on the ground.

"Range, Range are you okay?" Another worker comes, and soon everyone's around me.

"Yes, I'm good. I'm fine, don't I look fine?"

Everyone relaxes.

After taking a shower, I go home to Prage with a good amount of fruit.

Fortunately, we live in a community of not-so-lucky families in a large…home like thing, so I have people looking after my sister. I bring them some kind of gift, usually fruits or some others… I mean, it is not much, but in times of need, you are happy for everything you get.

"Hey sis," I walk into our apartment.

"Hey," she comes out of the kitchen part, coughing, "hey Range." I hug her.

"Who was looking over you?"

"Tayann," she says.

"Okay, I'll make sure to give her my thanks. How are your meds?"

"I'm good for a week," she sneezes.

Someone knocked on our door.

"Yes?" I open the door. It was one of my coworkers.

"Elijah Field wants to talk to you," he says, slightly out f breath.

Who's that? Elijah Field? Never heard of him.

"He wants to give you a promotion."

Promotion caught my interest

I look at Prage, "If he stays with you for some time, will you be okay with it?"

"Sure," she smiles and shrugs.

Promotion? Finally a promotion!

Less work or more money, maybe both! Yes! I'm so happy I could almost hug a person.

But that would take time, so I won't.

But a promotion!

I almost blast into the boss's room. "Hey Elijah," I greet him automatically. His name is Elijah? Wow…forgot that.

"Range," he nods. "I've decided that you deserve a promotion earlier than planned. You and your sister…I hope she gets well. You show devotion to her, and that is respectable. Plus what happened today opened my eyes that if something happen to you, who knows the outcome? So you can choose, be on the inventory team, or a planter."

Planters plant the plants, well, obviously, and father them. They usually plant herbs that grow relatively fast compared to trees. The job is easy and harmless, but well paid, with extras.

Inventory team monitors the fruits and vegetables made, sold, given away and all that. If something's missing, they contact with the other teams about the loss or extras. It is a bit more dangerous than the planter, but you have bit more food.

So in summary, plantering is easy, pays well, but the food we can take home is less; for inventory, more dangerous, less money but more plants to take home. Both also get discounts in shops run by the industry.

But a planter can work home, and an inventorian is a big job.

"Planter, I want to continue my career as a planter."

"Great, you start tomorrow."

Oh boy oh boy!

This is the best day, sad that it has to end with the Reapings.

But whatever!

Tayann Walsom

Huh, first Reapings. What if I get Reaped? Will Mother and Father miss me? Will Tayley miss me? Do they even like me?

_Of course they do Tayann, they are your family._

But Tayley, and even Father said that they'd be off without me.

_They were angry at you; people say things they don't mean when they are angry._

But they weren't angry, they were tired.

_Okay, they were tired; do you like to be messed with?_

I don't know. Better than being ignored I think.

_Tayann, no matter what, your family loves you._

Then how do you explain having Mother say 'I wish you you'd be dead too,' When talking about Taylynn?

_Do you always do this? I might just leave you alone in your misery._

No! No, please don't leave. I don't want to be alone…I'm always alone…

_Then promise to loose this attitude and that you will answer my questions._

I…I promise.

_ You say you are always alone. What about that little sick girl? She is not ignoring you, is she?_

Well…no, she's not. But I watch out for her when his brother is not there. I mean, I have company and I get a fruit or two for hanging with her.

_I see. So you are not always alone._

No. I mean, yes. Yes I am not always alone, but I am most of the time.

My shadow dissipates as Tayley opens my door.

"Stop talking to yourself! Or we'll send you to mental hospital again!" She barks at me.

"So-sorry…" I squirm from my corner.

"You better be!" She yells.

"Mentally impaired courtesan…" I comment.

Shadow comes back.

She's gone.

_ She is scary._

_ That bitch better be gone!_

I know…but she is my sister, I have to at least try to obey her. Plus I enjoy insulting her with words she does not comprehend.

_ But she's your sister!_

_ Oh shut up. Because of you Tayann is all puny. What you need here girl is a punch in the guts! Burn her body! Erase her from existence!_

I can't do that…I don't have the materials needed. Even if I'd have, I wouldn't be able to burn her, because I need to subtract her from the society, get her into a place where only she and I'll be, and then I need to have the will to kill her. Then again, I'd be prime subject.

Maybe I could poison her food. But then I'd forget about it and maybe eat it and die.

_Or just get a knife and cut their necks! It is that easy honey. Just get a knife, press it to their necks, and let the water of life leave their body._

The door opens and Tayley comes in, turning on the light. I hiss at her as a reaction to light.

"Come and eat," she says grimly, her voice filled with hatred. As if she's saying 'Come and eat, but we don't want you.'

"I'm not hungry."

I'm never hungry. Maybe because I am really not hungry, or my will is strong and doesn't allow me to feel hunger, or for some odd reason.

"Good," she says and slams my door, then opens it again. "Oh, and that freak of a guy asked you if you can babysit his ill sister."

I smile at the news, but the smile fades as Tayley slams my door even harder, forgetting to turn the lights out.

I leave the room and our flat, going downstairs to room 22, where Prage and Range live.

I was about to knock on the door when Prage opens it up.

Her large almond eyes covered by her dark curly hair gives her an innocent look as she is there, holding a green dog plushie in her gray gown.

"Salutations," I smile at her.

"Salutations," she smiles back and lets me in.

Little Prage is always sick, or never healthy. I don't know why or how, but if I have to bet on it, she is never healthy, meaning she has a severe, possibly incurable disease causing death. But that is worst case scenario that has a very small chance of happening.

Everyone thinks just because she is sick she is rabid and she needs to be sealed up and all that crap. False.

She is very smart, she learns quickly. Like, one day I showed her a recipe, she made a perfect version of the cookie the next day.

That girl, it is horrible that her life is destroyed by a disease.

"So, what do you want to do?" She asked me.

"I don't know, let's just talk?"

"Sure," she said, "cookies or tea?"

"Tea would be wonderful."

"Okay dokey."

I sit on their couch, she gets to cups of hot tea.

"Prage, I always wondered, does Range have a girlfriend?" She looks at me quizzically. "No, no, not because of that, I mean, he is good looking, smart, devoted and all that is all a girl asks for."

"Ah. Well, exactly, he is _too_ devoted. He works all the time, and any free time he has, he spends it with me. So he really doesn't allow himself to have a social life."

"Oh, that makes sense."

"Want to play a game?"

"Sure."

Range Wisp

I was doodling the whole day after getting my new job, and I decided to take off the rest of the day for two reasons. I have to, because it is Reaping day, and I want to spend some time with Prage. I owe a lot to Tayann, she always comes and hangs out with Prage, and she rejects any kind of thanks most of the time, but when she doesn't, she just takes an apple or a bundle of grapes; and she understands that Prage doesn't need babysitting or anything, but someone to talk to, or hang around, and Tayann does that.

They even became friends, which is good. If I'm right, this is Tayann's first Reapings. Ugh, the six years of terror just starts-

But ends for me, luckily.

Tayann Wilsom

Tayley gave me her old dress for me to wear it for Reapings. It was pretty pink when we got it, but now it is pale and dark, like liver pink. I love it. It is bland and unnoticeable. No one will even notice me, and that is good. I dislike people to a very high degree, and since it is Reaping Day, all the teenagers will be in the square, and that is a lot of heads.

Our Escort is a quiet boy with light brown hair and dark green eyes. He has a new beat-up mark. Funny how Escorts supposed to be dealt with kindly, this boy is always beat up, or appears to be beat up. I wonder who will be damned with the games.

Range Wisp

Our Escort, Johnatan Malvoro comes up the stage, looking like a sack of purple potatoes, that boy always has someone beating him up. I mean, he is the Esocrt, doesn't he have some bodyguards? Maybe, I don't know. I'm not an Escort.

"Good day District 11," he greets us, his voice shaky. "Once again it is time to reap two daring children to represent our magnificent District in the Games, " he takes out the yellow paper marked _100__th_, reads it and gulps. "To remind the Twelve Districts, that even those who knew about the Rebellion were considered as part of the Rebellion, the acquaintances of the tributes will be sent to the Games too."

That is so inhuman. Bless the souls of the chosen ones.

"The male tribute is Range Wisp! The female tribute is Tayann Wilsom!"

Me? Me and Tayann? Make it irony.

Tayann Wilsom

When Range got reaped, I was shocked. I certainly didn't expect it to be him. The next thing was Prage, she will be in there too…and then me. But then I heard my name from the Escort and the only thing I could think…

Should I even try to save my family?

Or let them die.

_ But dear, they are your family. You should try to save them, as they would save you too!_

_ Ah shut up! Her family hates her, each and everyone one of them hates her._

_ Lies! They care about you Tayann, they really do._

Range Wisp

Elijah came first to say goodbyes.

"I'm really sorry about what happened. I never expected that you, out of all the eighteen years old, would be reaped."

"I know I know. I just worry about Prage, who will take care of her? The only person who did a great job was Tayann, but she too was reaped."

"That is the least I could do. In the dire case of you not returning, I'll take care of her."

It pains my hearts to hear this. Prage growing up without me, but the fact that Elijah said he'd be Prage's guardian, makes me happy.

After him, some workers came, one of them gave me a small wooden charm with my name on it as a Token.

I was expecting Prage, how stupid I am. Even if she wouldn't be sick she couldn't come. She was rarely outside, she'd be lost in the city.

Guess it is better like this, remembering her smiling and happy, not in tears.

Tayann Wilsom

No one.

No one came.

Not my father, not my mother, not Tayley, no one.

_Maybe they had too much to-_

"No they didn't! They knew this will happen! They prayed for the secound they could get rid of me and now they are celebrating!"

_ I'm sure this didn't happen…they are you fami-_

"They could be the President of Panem and I wouldn't care. You know what? I will let them rot in their graves!"

_I'm glad you opened your eyes._

**Author's Note: Sorry for not updating for a looong time, but we had important stuff to do, and last days were hectic.**

**I also get depressed that only one person reviewed District 10. Well, two if we count Roy, but he knows what will happen if he doesn't. Really? I mean, really? Why didn't you review? Please review next time?**

**I AM SO VERY SORRY!**

**We got guests through the whole vacation, and I couldn't use my computer, and had to use my tablet/phone, which SUCK. Not only this, I am in great trouble in school…Please forgive me?**

**And review. I was serious about reviwing.**


	13. The Princess and Beggar

Anglis Rudar-Stvo

Being a poor kid was never fun. Except that you get to hang around, helping at home everyday. You know, since I cannot go to school and stuff. And after my mom died of sickness, it was even less fun. Her death changed everyone in the household.

For example, dad got depressed, very depressed. He forgot to smile and spent his day and life working to keep up the family. Peter, well, I think it affected him the most.

Before her death, Peter was confident of himself, so sure about everything he did. He was a heartthrob, every girl wanted him. He was in four sports, he was popular. He was everything I wanted to be. He was my idol.

He still is…but he is so different know.

He is very jumpy, nervous all the time. He lost all confidence, and his self esteem is hitting the bottom. He is anti-social, and fails at everything he starts because he is constantly telling himself how much he fails in life.

He is a typical representation of a Rudar male according to my grandmother, while she was living. He is tall, bulky, handsome, dark blond hair and dark blue eyes with long fingers and a robust look. Everyone said he was a typical Rudar.

I'm a typical Stvo. I'm middle height, not buff but a little chubby and strong but a bit slow.

We usually study together. He likes studying and the fine arts.

And bakeries.

I consider ourselves lucky because we are friends with the Mellarks.

They are the victors of the 74th Hunger Games, and for some reason, I'm friends with Emilly and Pieter, their children. Mrs. Mellark usually brings us some pastry, like pretzels and waffles, or sometimes a whole bread, and Mr. Mellark allows us to work at his shop, or paint with him.

He started a painting class. That man has a way of dealing with the canvas. He doesn't use brushes or sponges or anything, but his hands and fingers.

He conveys emotion, movement, depth and foreshadowing. Mostly he uses the inspiration from the Seventies, the 74th, 75th and 76th Hunger Games.

Peter usually draws the happy-goes-sad paintings. He draws something positive, and adds negative things foreshadowing the coming badness; but I cannot draw or paint to save my life, so I just do the basic frosting on some donuts as painting.

Then there is a lady who gives us food. She just comes, rings the bell, and gives me the food and leaves. She doesn't tell her name, doesn't accept anything, she just comes and leaves.

It is because of her we were not starving on numerous days.

I just thought of something. Wouldn't it be ironic if Pieter and Emilly would be reaped? It would be horrible, but also very ironic.

Hm…would they survive as well as their parents? Or would they play the lovers game?

Nah, they wouldn't be Reaped, though then the Capitol's eyes would be watching them.

"Hey Anglis," Peter murmurs. Weird, it sounded like a purr. He is cooking … something. But it's food.

"Next try putting some potatoes in," I say, looking up from the book of recipes. I have collected a lot of recipes from all over the place, or at least, the ones I can excess, and put them in this one book. I'm sure if I'd sell it, it would bring some money to the house, but…I don't want to. I guess I got attached to it.

Peter grabs two potatoes with shaky hands, and plops them in the pot when I notice he put the wrong ones.

"No not those ones!" I suddenly yell, making Peter jump and flinch. "I'm sorry for shouting," I quickly apologize and take the potatoes out of the hot water with quick movement.

"I'm so sorry," he says, almost tearing up. "I'm good for nothing."

I make a near hissing sound as I lick my hand, and then I put it to my neck. For some reason, my neck is always cool.

"It's fine, don't fret it. The water looks clean, so nothing bad happened. Shall I continue?" I ask him after inspecting the water.

"Yes…please."

I slice up the cleaned potatoes and put them in the water, than cut up some carrots, mash garlic and the soup is done.

He is playing with his fingers in the corner.

"Come on, it's okay. Nothing bad happened. No food went bad, no limbs were lost." 'No food went bad, no limbs were lost' is, nowadays, a common saying here in 12 that basically means 'everything's fine.'

"Yeah, but I messed up again."

"Oh shut it, so what? Like other people don't mess up."

"But I mess up all the time."

I sigh. "Look, you can't be blamed of Mom. She died. Not your fault, not my fault, not anyone's fault. You can't change it, so live with it. Life has a lot more of these kinds of surprises for us, and you can't blame yourself for them, or live like that. You just can't. Let other people worry for you for you worry. Look, if I get reaped, you can't blame yourself, because not like you cheated and decided to have my name in there a bazillion times, did you? No. So come on and enjoy life!" I said cheerfully. "Or at least try to pretend you find pleasure living," I pat him on the shoulder. "Let's take a walk before the said event."

Alia O'Larr

They say that appearance is everything? That is so true, if you ask me. I mean, look at my friends. They are all pretty. They are clean, even though you are talking about District 12, they are cleaner than most people. But. They are the most evil creatures I have ever seen. They are snobby, pathetic, and too smart to be kind. Just like snakes, or jackals, but snakes and jackals are too adorable to be compared to those…things.

And there comes my mom, wanting me to be popular and socialize with them, I mean, come on! Let me live for once in my life! I had to spend my childhood with them, and now I am fifteen. Let me pick my friends, but no. It's like, she wants good for me, but then she doesn't see the detail only the big picture.

It's like I don't even have a life anymore, just being a puppet having its strings yanked in all directions. Oh let's go to a party with Letta, oh let's have a tea party with Kaylee, oh let's go to the movies Ashlyn, or maybe go to a football game with the twins and 'marvel' over all the shirtless guys playing in mud for a ball? Then it comes to the point when everyone wants me, and I cannot say 'For crying out loud leave me alone' but I have to gladly accept the invitations, and then change them into a group activity or something.

Then there is the crap we do. _Let's talk about boys; ooh, isn't insert name here hot? Oh my god, who did your nails? They are absolutely_ stupendous. Gosh, some stupid Barbie dolls they are. The worst of all, they are always, _always_ mean to everyone who doesn't follow them, and if I don't copy them, they will throw me out and there is bye bye normal life in District 12. Ha, normal. Normal would be being poor and having little food…

The whole rich kid started when I signed into the talent show with the Hanging Tree, and I won. Before that, I was a dust on the rich man's foot, now, I am the one wearing the rich clothing because those brats fuel us with cash.

So in a way, I am the one working here.

Sometimes I just want to stab them with the high heels I am wearing just for the fun of it, or as a sign of revenge from the not-rich-and-snobby-people.

"He-ey Alia," Opal chirps with her very annoying, forced accent.

"Hey Opal," I say after a sigh.

"What's wrong girl? What was that with the sigh?"

"Oh nothing, the usual."

"I know how it feels, I wanted to buy this shoe, but it was not in my favourite colour."

Really? You didn't buy something because of its colour? Some people would do anything for disgusting clothing, just so they will have some clothing.

And considering the fact that my dad is a cobbler…

I so want to slap her...once, only once!

"I need to ghost Opal," I say.

"Ghost?" She repeats the word awkwardly.

"Yes, ghost, means to go away in a hurry without being noticed."

"Alia, what did we tell you? Don't you _those_ words!" 'Those' words are anything slang and not posh.

"Anyways, toodles."

Home sweet home. Mom is baking strawberry pies.

Even at home I'm forced for the posh crap, as I mentioned earlier with my mom.

Harris, my dad is the only cobbler here in 12, so you can imagine how much work he has. He is kind, and digs me, but since he leaves early and returns late, it is really no use.

Then there is my cousin, Noel, who surprisingly hangs around some times with us. She is my role model. She is gorgeous yet strong, kind but serious, funny yet also mean at times. She has style, she has grace. She is everything I want to be, but more importantly, she gets my situation and we can talk about it.

But since she is twenty-one, she often just does her work and doesn't have time for me. And that's okay, because then I help her with some stuff, like organizing and moving things around. She is designing things, from clothing to buildings and other plans.

"Hey Noel," I say as I walk into her room.

"Hey sugar-pie." I never really understood why she is calling me sugar-pie, but better than mud-muffin.

"What are you up to?"

"Drawing the schematics of some new type of gun that doesn't hurt the body or the mind, but it causes you to black-out."

"Sounds fun. How's it going?" I plop down on her large, pie looking beanie. She designed this one.

"Well, some bullets are made in District 2 that causes some nerves to block down. It is really a big thing now. Those will be utilized for Peacekeepers so you know, they won't actually put holes in us," she explains.

I smell something in the air, something…good.

"Is that mushroom and cheese instant soup?"

"Yes, yes it is."

Even though we can have fairly normal food, I still eat the poor food. Instant soups, dry food, bread and berries, raw food, apples, oh I love apples and cheese. Cheese is my life, I cannot live without it. Usually when my mom gives me food, this really big food like…meat, lots of meat, I usually give it to the ones that aren't lucky as me. Especially to this sad kid. His mom died, and his family just fell apart.

Now that I think about it, I never eat meat. Looks like I'm vegetarian.

Oh well, it is about time to go to the Reapings. Blech, with my 'friends.' Jesus, I would a bit like it, maybe, if I would get Reaped. Just maybe…

Anglis Rudar-Stvo

I find it funny that on the Reaping day, the weather is so cheerful. Our Escort, Effie Trinket didn't change a bit. Nothing. She didn't get older, and her fine taste of fashion didn't break. She is punctual about everything, ordering some kids around to be in perfect squares standing, not sitting.

"Hello hello District 12! What a fine day we have here, don't you agree?" Somehow, she manages to make my brother and I smile. She too has visited the Mellarks once or twice. Especially when Haymitch got into hospital, poor drunkard; though I never really met her. "It is time once again to have a young man and woman filled with valor and pride to represent District 12 in the Hunger Games!" After telling us that our friends and family will be in the Games though, one tiny image zooms through my mind; and that is Peter dying.

I smile to myself, as if.

"The male tribute is Pete-"

"I volunteer!" I shriek like I am tortured.

Heh, she didn't even finish the name and I volunteered. There are so many people with the prefix Pete, sure my Peter wasn't Reaped. Walking up, I see Peter crying, great. As she reads the girl's name, I look at the other paper, Pete Cropperfield.

Just my luck.

Alia O'Larr

For some untold reason, Mrs. Trinket irritates me. Maybe because the fact she is just like my 'friends.'

Speaking about them, they are late. Or I am early. One of the two. Good. At least I don't have to put up with their talk and sobs and all the fake things.

Anyway, now I actually wear something I like. Sneakers, jeans, and shirt. Not a blouse, not high heels, no mini skirt, no make-up, fake-nails or anything.

The weather is so nice; I could do a lot of things besides coming for the Reapings. Question is, will I be stealthy enough so I won't be noticed? And will the weather stay?

I hope the answer is yes to both.

Or maybe if the weather turns bad, I just hang with Noel.

Mrs. Trinket gets on stage and greets us.

"To remind the Twelve Districts, that even those who knew about the Rebellion were considered as part of the Rebellion, the acquaintances of the tributes will be sent to the Games too," she reads of the yellow card. "The male tribute is Pete-" abruptly, the most horrifying "I volunteer" was heard. It was like a cat being skinned alive…

The boy who walks up, or runs, whichever sharpens your blade, is very much like the boy I give food to.

But when Mrs. Trinket asks his name, that voice…he _is _the boy I give food to!

"The lady tribute is Alia O'Larr!"

And look who's his partner?

Anglis Rudar-Stvo

Beside my father and Peter, I was surprised to see Peeta come to the goodbyes too. Needless to say, Peter was crying his heart out, talking about me giving the Reaping example and all. Dad was silent as always, no surprise, looking down on the floor, searching for things to say to his son that will never come back.

"Remember what mom said?" I say, and it catches Peter's and dad's attention. We don't really talk about mom anymore… "Darkness is everywhere. In the corner of your eyes, in the corner of your room, in the corners of he world. When you close your eyes it's dark, and when you sleep it's dark. Yet the sun always comes and banishes everything bad, and we have the luxury of having a piece of the sun…as a match." She used to say this when her sons were hitting rock bottom. It didn't help anything at all. I didn't get the darkness and sun and the matches, now I do. Or at least I think I do.

Maybe she had a different definition of it.

Depressing as it is, I knew this would happen. First mom, then the only normally insane guy, me, than dad, and then Peter is left alone.

Or something horrifically disturbing and heartbreaking like that.

I found it weird that Peeta came, since he is a mentor.

As it turns out his children will be in the Games because of some magical reason. More people to save for the win!

Anywho…if I wasn't insane enough, I am now.

Alia O'Larr

Lovely lovely. I'm in the Games. I have no chance but to rely on people for money.

Well, at least no more annoying stupid girls!

Guess that's good.

First my mom comes, surprisingly in tears.

"Oh darling…why does it have to be you? Why you?" She says between sobs.

I want to tell her that I'll be back in one piece, but I'd be lying. A District 12 girl against Careers? Please.

"Mom, mom," I gently shake her. "You can't change something that already happened."

"But…you're my little princess. I wanted you to have a perfect life. I didn't want you to have the life I lived. I thought that this way it will be better, with warm food and clothing, shelter…" she sobs.

That…opened my eyes.

"I was pushing you to have those friends so you will not have to suffer the things I did. I knew you didn't like it, heck you hated it, but at least you had food and everything _I_ didn't…"

Oh mother…

Great, now I'm crying too, way to start my death sentence.

After her my dad came. He promised me to fight for me with everything he got…

Even better. He will use all of our money to save the sacrificial bunny.

After my parents, the three matriarchs, Letta, Kaylee and Ashyln.

I have to give it to them, they look ravishing.

Letta has her dark blonde hair up with a sand coloured bow, wearing an egg white dress.

Kaylee has her dark hair down on her shoulders in two long pigtails; she has a white circlet on her head.

Ashlyn wears a yellow knee length dress that looks as if it was bleached. It goes well with her pail-ish skin.

They are all shocked, first of all because of my appearance, then because I am reaped. Kaylee and Ashlyn keep talking about how horrible I look, and why am I not wearing a dress and makeup; the only normal person is Letta, who gives me a bracelet.

"So in times of need, you'll know we are there for you," she says reassuringly, yet seriously.

Irra and Iana come after them, they seem to ignore my looks, fortunately, and talk, almost recite, all our 'fun' times. Starting with me singing, then that one time I was laughing so hard that milk came out of my nose, and then how Irra's lover mixed the twins up, and still does. This time, my 'friends' actually acted human, making me feel a bit better.

Awkwardly Opal and Stella didn't come, and sadly Noel didn't come for my goodbyes.

I guess that it's better that it's me, I hardly have a personal life…

**Author's Note: Now, because I am a horrible example of humans on Earth, tell me your favourite characters, and if you have a character, then tell me who you want to have a romance with your character(s) and alliances because they may just happen!**

**Finally…I'm done with the hardest part yet! I have my exams next week, so that will be a planning period, kind of. I have some parts of the games planned out, yes, the deaths, suicides, horrors and r o m a n c e s, and three person who can be the victors. I want apologize for the grammatical errors and the story line, and the lots of no updates in time…I hope you still like the story ;_;**

**But I still want you to R E V I E W… or else…**


	14. Chariot Ride Plan

Disitrict 1

Song- Waking Up In Vegas by Katey Perry

Male: Diamond Suite

Female: Ruby Dress

District 2

Song- Ghost of You by My Chemical Romance

Male: Epic Warrior

Female: Wife of Epic Warrior/Turns into Warrioress at the death of Husband

District 3

Song- Electric Worry by Clutch/Electric City by Black Eyed Peas

Male: Plus

Female: Minus

District 4

Song-

Male: Pirate/Sailor

Female: Mermaid

District 5

Song- All the Right Moves by One Republic

Male: Male Dandy Purple Ghost

Female: Female Dandy Purple Ghost

District 6

Song- To The Sky by Owl City

Male: Dreamy boy

Owl: Owl

Female: Dreamy girl

District 7

Song- The Wolf by Fever Ray

Male: The Lumberjack

Female: Red Riding Hood

Wolf: The Wolf

District 8

Song- Fucking Perfect by P!nk/ This is Halloween

Male: Dashing Man/Jack

Female: Grotesque Beggar/Sally

District 9

Song- Run this Town by Rihanna

Male: Henchman

Female: Boss

Female II: Henchwoman trying to be Boss

District 10

Song- Kickass by Mika

Male: Hyped up Kid

Female: The one who is turned hyped by the Hyped up Kid

District 11

Song- Levels by Avicci

Male: Flourishing vibrant jumpsuit

Female: Flourishing vibrant dress

District 12

Song- Set Fire to The Rain by Adele

Male: Coal becoming fire on touch

Female: Coal becoming fire on touch

**Author's Note: So this is the plan for the Chariot Rides. A song as a theme, and the costumes. Do you like them? Also, if you have other ideas, tell me, I promise they'll be considered!**


	15. Symphony of Mass Horrors and Confusions

_District 1 Train –Daphine Ryte_

This is flipping amazing, really. I just found that the boy I have a crush on has a crush on me, and now we are girlfriend and boyfriend, and guess what?

I got Reaped.

At least I'm with Jem who has all the riches in District 1 supporting him. If I get on his good side, I might have a chance.

_Might_?

I was training my entire life for the Games, I have a _lot_ of chances, and I just hope this anger will leave for the interviews. You don't want a tribute beating the life out of Brutus Flickerman.

I'm infuriated with this twist of life, and right now, I want to throw Rosse out of the window.

"Well isn't this a great team? A Stunt and a pretty Ruby to compliment him," it says. "I just wonder when your mentors will be here," a tall and mean looking girl busts the door in. I bet she didn't bother to use the handle.

That's Emeralda Glytter, the newest addition to the Victors.

She is infamously called Gill, for the reason that she survived most of the Arena by staying in water, and she killed _all_ her victims by drowning them. _All_.

Followed by her is Iaon Ndim, the barbarian. He killed his enemies with his bare hands, even the Mutts. No weapons or anything, just his hands.

Then came Goldenglow, a girl living up to her name because of her golden hair. She won by making people do her biddings. Not very nice, but it's working nonetheless.

Last person is Kharat Thusand, a young man with an eye patch over his left eye. He was a master with swords, so you can guess the carnage he left behind.

"Out," Kharat said, not even looking at Rosse. Without a word, Rosse disappeared through the door.

Jem is being very quiet.

"Look at what we have here," Goldenglow asked, her voice dripping with poison. Figuratively of course. "Fresh meat."

"Listen up," Ioan says as the other take a seat somewhere in our proximity. "Don't you expect a honeymoon. You will sweat blood and drink your sweat if you have to. Understood?"

"Yeeeees," Jem says like he came out of a trance.

I forgot to answer. Ioan turns to me and yells again. "Understood?"

"Don't need to yell, I am not _DEAF_!" I yell back at him, earning a quick backhand that would've hit home if I wouldn't have jabbed my nails into his arm.

"Well look now Ioan, this year's game will be fun," Emeralda says like a sly snake.

_District 2 Train- Hanna_

Isn't this surprising?

The tributes know each other; one of them is a psychopath, the other one being a prankster who relies too much on his looks. At least he is symmetrical, that's that.

For some reason the train didn't start on time.

"What in the world?" I hiss to myself, looking over my notes. "We should be on our way to the Capitol already." I check my watch. We are running late. "Excuse me for a minute," I inform the tributes and leave the room. As I was stepping down onto the station, I saw Felix and Keisa, this year's mentors, coming. "What is this madness?" I ask them. "We should be on our way."

"The train has some problems apparently."

"Agh, idiots," I hiss. "Please, continue, the tributes are eager to meet you."

Felix, or Felicio Demandez, using his full name, is forty-eight years old, but he still looks like he is thirty-two. He is a fearsome fighter, but dislikes to be the centre of attention, even in the Games, he disappeared after taking some items from the Cornucopia, and took off his enemies with a bow and arrow.

Kesia Cobelstone's husband owns a forgery in District 2, one of the few. It actually fits her, remembering how she could use any weapon given to her, and kill at least two different ways.

I go to the beginning of the train, finding the operator.

"What is this shittery? We should be on already moving to the Capitol!"

"Coffee break," the man says like he is shitting gold.

"Go and work for your money or else I get Felix."

"So?"

Shablam! I punched him in the neck.

"Let's go, we don't have the whole day."

I walk back to our part of the train, feeling a lot more relaxed, and happy, that I hit someone.

"So, how's everyone doing?" I ask, smiling.

"She is the bomb diggity!" Ms. Wintre says excited. "She is like, bwaa…she is a flipping murder monster!"

"Oh you, please," Mrs. Cobelstone says, "I'm blushing…"

"So you say that hitting someone like this," Mr. Asher makes a fist, with his middle finger bent and sticking out, "in the eye, they will be blinded permanently?"

"If you do it hard enough, yes."

Great. I have the psychopaths.

_District 3 Train-Binar Krein_

Up close, I can see Ray's outfit, and the tricks of how they made it. First I thought it was neon, then neon coloured water, and now I was guessing that it was just lights. Neither of those are true. The lights are the same intensity all over, they are the same everything all over the outfit. So how did they do it?

Well, they got a hollow translucent tube; put a very sensitive wire through it made specifically in District 3 for these costumes. This is covered in a transparent foil, because, they run high voltage through it, which makes it explode in a colour decided by the makers.

It is genial, yet dangerous, as inside is very hot, and if manufactured the wrong way, the wearer may suffer minor, major burns and death.

Something very awkward to note, Finley fainted. Fortunately Sizzle, one of our mentors helped us carry her to the train.

Sizzle is twenty, tall, bald with electric blue eyes, and scratches, burns, and marks on his body. He is very hyper, happy-go-lucky, and cannot focus. At all.

"Mmmhan…" Finley slowly wakes up. "What the hell happened? Are we on our way to the Capitol?" I wonder why Sandellius doesn't come out.

Running came Sizzle and picked her up into a hug. "You're awake! Woohoo!" After him comes a lady with dark brown hair and eyes, wearing glasses, a white pencil skirt and soft yellow top. She's Armando Ire, who's first name is Ire, a great person to ask about explosives, followed by Beetee, he who binds electricity.

"Eagh, too strong!" Finley manages to say and Sizzle lets her go. "God…okay. Wow. So I fainted?"

"Yes," we all say with a nod.

"Lovely way to start the Games." She says, still a bit dizzy. "Anyways," she starts off but then stops. "I mean," she deepens her voice. "It doesn't matter, because like, I train everyday, and I'm like, so good and stuff…I can kill with my bare hands."

I smile at her.

"I know you lie."

"What? No. Did you see what I did to that girl?"

"I know you lie, because I lie too…"

_District 4 Train- Carolie Davis_

My sister's the Escort. Her boyfriend is my partner. Finnick Odair and Annie Cresta are our mentors, kind of ironic since Tiara and Shark are dating, and Finnick and Cresta are husband and wife.

It feels like I am the ultimate third wheel.

I just sank into my seat, trying to relax.

_100__th__ Games. My friends will be there too, but how? Will I have to save them? Will they be my enemy? What arena will we be in?_

_ Will Shark turn against me and kill me?_

"Carolie," Tiara looks at me. "Carolie, it's a safe bet that the Capitols will like you, so I made sure to that you will meet your Stylist." A lady with flowing blue hair, light purple lips, ocean blue eyes, and in a tight blue work dress entered, followed by two guys who look relatively normal.

"Listen sugarbeats," she says with a kind voice, "it is my job to make you look so sweet you will give the Capitolians cavity. I'm Cyan, nice to meet you."

"Shark," Sebastian said, "I like to be called Shark." Wow, he has manners.

"And your real name is?"

He squints his eyes, as if thinking about killing, sighs, then relaxes. "Sebastian Carcharodon."

"Such a fitting name for you. I already have an idea, now two. And your sister talked a lot about you, Carolie. There is one thing I want you two to know. If I say jump, you ask how high. I've been in this job longer than you know, helping Finnick and Cresta win their games. Got to say, they were really easy to make loveable."

Finnick looked at Cyan, waiting for her to stop.

"Luckily for our District, tributes can play off two sides. Attractive and unattractive, and all the other plays from those two, because the Games aren't only about the fighting, but also getting the viewers. You never know, you might just get a trident from a fellow fan…"

_There ain't many things attractive about Shark if you ask me._

Shark looks at me, as if he read my mind. "Or we could play the ugly way, and have a princess captured by the old and ugly pirate captain," he smirks.

That's it, Shark thinks as me as his midnight snack.

_District 5 Train- Shviga Nettlecek_

Another year, another Games, another twenty-four kids put on the Alter of Chaos. There is no end, no stop, like a circle of madness; you can't do anything about it. Twelve Districts send their citizens to certain death, because, we all die, just some die earlier. Even the Victor, their childhood is destroyed, broken into thousands of pieces like a glass.

I sigh.

_How pathetic they are. Thinking they can change something that a powerful dominion started? There is no end to this. Not even the death of President Coriolanus Snow stopped this, so how would anything else?_

_ Though if the District of Nuclear Energy would stand up and destroy the Capitol…that might work, but thorough planning is needed for that._

The train is moving, finally.

"To make your last days as enjoyable as possible, and because it is a long way to our destination, these touch screen miniature computers are provided for your usage."

The Alto boy, without word, stands up, grabs one of the mentioned items, and sits back down.

Secounds after, the sound of piano echoed through the empty train.

Interestingly, he played very old songs, and to say, he played ones which I liked.

It was only him now. Everyone watched him, even though that everyone was only the female and I.

First he played Still Doll, then continued with The Black Star, Resonance, Dohnanyi's Sixth Concert Etude, Still alive, which is an adorable song about murdering and endless research, a personal favourite, World's End Dancehall, Two Faced Lovers, and Bad Apple, and then he started to make up music as he played.

"The rain stopped," Ms. Thorne commented on the weather.

"Indeed it did, but it will start once again, somewhere, sometime. Just like the tries of humanity."

"Oh, Shviga, I was always wondering, how come you are-"

"Depressed to a high degree?"

"Yes."

"There are things in life that everyone sees but not many understand. Once you understand that, you will see the world in a different colour. It is not the way people imagine, being 'emo' and 'goth,' but it is the fact that even though people say 'I understand ' they really are saying 'I feel your negative emotions, but I cannot understand the true meaning, so instead I will provide you with a shoulder to cry on, and hope you will save yourself.' It's the way life works. From ashes to ashes, one kills another. You can say, once you see life, the _true _life, you'd know what I mean, but you don't. Fortunately. Albeit you are sent to death, you should consider yourself lucky that you don't see behind the fine cloth you see the movie on."

Mr. Alto looks up.

"I am quite surprised to find someone who thinks the way I do. I was called everything but normal. No one understands the way a scientist works."

I show my wicked smile.

"Indeed. Though not because the same cause, we see the world in the same colour. Objective thinking allows us to make the best of life."

"No feelings, no worries."

"Only thoughts and words."

If I may say that, I start to enjoy Elias Alto's presence, sad he will never make it past day four.

_District 6 Train- Snapdragon Rasputun_

Isn't this wonderful? I'm in the Games, going blind, with a girl who behaves like he was raised by wolves, with a wolf companion, who keeps staring at my owl companion.

Even better, our Escort, Ash-Face, is as horrible as can be.

"How much chance do you think you have? How long will you pull it off? Will you kill? Who will kill you I wonder? Or how will you die? Because you'll die one day…" He goes on and on about miserable lives, and all the bad things the Games bring that makes him happy.

Xanthe is successfully ignoring him, though her wolf companion seems aggravated by Ash-Face's presence.

He is annoying, very annoying with his seemingly endless rabble of death and suffer. I wonder if he is a masochist or not, because it is quite obvious he is sadistic.

"And your pants, I have some very ironic deaths for them too…Like your bird, get shot and eaten by a tribute," he says.

"Leave Bartholomew out of this."

"Or that canine," he said, pointing at Wolf.

Suddenly, Xanthe turned her eyes at Ash-Face, and then slowly, moved away from the window, and now she was staring at him.

"If you do one thing against Wolf, I will make sure that you will wake up somewhere in a forest, very, _very _confused," for a finish, she snapped at Ash-Face; then she patted the seat next to her and Wolf jumped on the seat.

I think the state of insanity of this year's Games will go over the roof.


	16. What is Love?

_District 7 Train- Madelyn Rosegold_

The train looks, and is, very cozy, if I can say that.

Everything is made of fine wood, cherry or oak if I'm right. Everything is so luxurious.

There is even a hearth, with some animal trophies.

The whole thing looks like a hunter's home.

Our Mentors, Johanna, Blight and Titus are quite the representatives of District 7.

Johanna is a fearless woman, strong, deadly, but knows how to act when.

She's good.

Blight can be the older brother of Johanna if you ask me. He is tall with broad shoulders, dark grey eyes and tattered black hair. He and Johanna don't talk much to us, more like whisper to each other, observing, and then making a grunting sound as an agreement, or shaking their head with…bloodlust in their eyes, as far as I can tell.

Titus, about eighteen, is the one talking to us. He is about as tall as Tobias, light brown hair, and cloudy eyes.

I keep staring at Tobias's hair.

It's white!

But he keeps ignoring me, fortunately, avoiding a very frustrating conversation.

"And this is how I became a victor," Titus finished his story of blood and gore, smiling, looking down at his hands. "Necessity is the mother of invention," he said, shaking his said but still smiling.

He seems alright, a bit mentally ill, talking about life like a toy.

"Do you have a reason for staring at me?" Tobias gives a signal that he is alive, still looking out the window, watching the wildlife.

I don't know what to say first. "Your hair," I manage to say.

"Why, is this the first time you saw someone with hair?" He asks, finally looking at me.

First I was feeling…no. I don't know how I was feeling towards him, but now I want to slam his head to the window, just because the way he talks, like he is better than everyone, but I keep my cool.

"One with white hair it is."

"Want an explanation?"

"Yes."

"It is from-" he started, but got cut off by Taylor, coming back.

"Oh yeah, that was good. Do not use the toilet for a while."

I show my high degree of discomfort by standing up, punching Taylor in the guts, pulling him on the floor and locking him into a different room.

"I'm sorry, what were you saying?" I sit back to my seat. Everyone except him was staring at me awkwardly, and then, Joanna started to clap.

_District 8 Train- Cott O'Field _

I await the tributes before the train, nervous about my job.

Mr. Taylor opens to door, and Ms. Majorka goes through, looking as blank as ever.

"I'm sorry to say that Melanie had to…leave, for an urgent matter. Instead, I will accompany you." Truth is, Melanie got a heart attack.

Fortunately, we did not have to wait for the train to depart, as soon as we took our seats, the train as moving.

The three Mentors, Woof, Cecilia, and Allen, who also is the Stylist, are waiting inside.

The inside of the train is quite comfortable, yet nothing special to the eye. No vibrant colours, sharp motifs, nothing. Everything is boring, but very much comfortable.

"What a lovely place," William comments. "Such luxury."

"If you die, why not enjoy your last days?" Woof answered with a rhetorical question. Not to be confused with the Victor of the 26th Hunger Games, he is his son.

"Too true," William said charmingly.

"William, you remind me of someone," Cecilia started a new conversation after an indefinite amount of silence. "Haven't I seen you?"

"I don't recall meeting you face-to-face, but you may've seen me on the streets, or maybe in the theatre."

"Yes, that's the ticket, in the theatre. You were the violin player in Sonata, am I right?"

"Correct, I was the violinist. I'm surprised you remember that play, it was, what, five, six years ago?"

"I believe it is one of your best plays I've seen."

"Why thank you, I'm flattered. Not like it matters, we all are going to die. Isn't that right, Eliska?"

"Hm?" She looks at William, she was in her world. "Yes, yes, all die, like flies."

"Shall we be in an alliance, or shall we try to destroy each other's lives?" He asks with a wink.

"Do as you wish, it doesn't matter if I die because of you, or because I was burnt to ashes," she says coldly.

"But I certainly don't want to die because of you."

"Then we are in an alliance," she said, and sighed.

Something's very wrong with poor Eliska.

I don't know what, but something very wrong.

"Excuse me for a while," she says and goes to the bathroom.

What at first was a silent whimper grew into loud sobbing, crying, and raging.

I wanted to stand up and check on her, but William looked at me. Into my eyes, as if saying _'She's alright.'_

"Haaaa!" Eliska screams and shrieks, then starts to cry again.

This went for five minutes, alternating between silences and crying, and then she came out, looking like nothing happened.

Well, except that part that she had bite marks on her arms, and she looked like she could attack a grown grizzly.

_District 9 Train- Codie Wilya_

I'm not sure which I fear more; the Games, or to get between Liana and Jodi.

Without Scott I swear they'd be starting the Hunger Games right now.

"And why did you volunteer?"

"Why did _you_ volunteer?"

"Why should you care?"

"Why should you care about the reason I volunteered?"

"Why should you-"

"Jesus fuck! Calm the shit down!" Scott moaned, speaking instead of me. "I swear. Just like The Dark Days."

"Then get her away from me!"

"Better yet, dispose of that filthy bag of maggots!"

"Who's the bag of maggots, you, you bitch!"

They were starting again, but Scott fired his bullet. It went right through the space between, breaking the glass, and out to the nowhere.

"The next one will go to one of your brains, and I'm not kidding."

The two Mentors walk in.

First one is Cane, followed by Phalant.

Cane was, is, and I'm pretty sure will be a dead serious man. He broke two guys' necks after gaining their trust. That man would stab his own daughter in the back.

Phalant survived thanks to her knowledge of plants, and her petite size. She went around poisoning people's food.

Both of them demand authority in the way of their appearance, so fortunately the two girls shut up.

They scan the room, and sit down.

Awkward but welcomed silence.

"Ah, this, is worth living for," Cane said. "Now, what was that cat fight about?"

"She volunteered for a girl, the same time, and then she just ran up and screamed her name."

"So did you!"

They were starting again, but a quick look from Phalant, and they stopped.

"If you want to die so dearly, we can do it right now." He grabbed one of the dozen guns Scott had put on a table and shot at Liana and Jodi, making me jump at least a foot, and two shrieks from his targets as they jumped away. "So you want to live, interesting."

Phalant didn't even move a muscle, and Scott was going crazy of the stolen gun.

"Why the hell did you do that?" Jodi yelled.

"To make sure you are both sane. Listen, now that you screwed your and other people's lives up, work together. Look at Codie. I bet you were ignoring him the whole time." That is true. "Now, let's all calm down, and enjoy a cup of tea."

_District 10 Train- Anne Scarlette_

I'd be mean if I say that Elliott is annoying in the sense that he keeps talking endlessly, and he is only annoying to me because I like it when it is quiet. He is kind, and to give it to him good looking, along with my partner, but looks are useless for the most part. It is good to be handsome and pretty, so you can appeal to the Capitolians.

On that note, I find it funny how almost every single tribute was good looking. No ugly tribute was ever sent to the Games.

Wow, I feel ashamed I didn't think of that, but I'll look after it.

Ugly people not getting reaped…

Cielly, a young but experienced victor, with long brown hair and brown eyes, with puffy cheeks and a good attitude seated herself next to me. Auspiciously, she didn't talk to me, so I could read the book I decided to read.

Patricia, an older woman with sundried hair and tanned skin, is enjoying her fifth apple. I clearly remember her Games. She was riding one of the mutts to victory. It was a predator, or at least an omnivore favouring meat. She died one of the tributes, if I'm right, which I am, it was her district partner.

Because of that, she was marked as a monster. But, aren't we all monsters?

Lastly, Brandon, a too cheery person, who was tagged as 'brother' and 'cheerful' and 'loveable' and all the other names I am too lazy to recite.

They are having fun, at least Cielly and the guys.

They should have fun, because I can bet that neither Aden nor I will win. I'd be lucky to have a quick death. Maybe at the bloodbath? Yeah, saving my aunt with sacrificing my life. Though, most probably, she'd just commit suicide.

"Anne, are you okay?" One of the girls asks, I cannot identify the speaker.

"I'm tired, my head is throbbing. I have heat waves, my nose is clogged, and I am shivering. I'd say I have a variant of the common cold, but that is a bad bet. Let's settle with that I am sick, maybe food poisoning since only I ate a peach." Yes, I remember eating a peach first thing, because I was moderately hungry.

This is a good start, sick before the Games.

_District 11- Range Wisp_

This year's District 11 team is just like a miserable family.

I just got promoted and sent to the Games while my sister is sick; oh, and poor.

Tayann is poor, with a bad family.

Seeder, one of our mentors, won the Games by out-starving the others.

Our Escort, Johnatan is a sickly looking boy who is always beaten up.

The other Mentor, Timothy, barely won the Games. Barely.

Tayann is curled up into a ball, listening to our conversations.

"Do you have any proficiency useable for the Games?" Seeder asks.

Spot on. I am useless, and so is Tayann.

"I guess you can call collecting fruits proficiency," I say.

"How were you collecting? From the floor? Do you know what is poisonous or edible?"

"That too, but I was throwing spears as to…" Throwing spears? What's the difference between throwing it at a moving or stationary target? Well, a bit there is difference, but that _is _something useable for the Games. "As to catch fruits."

"Now that's skill. Just with a bit more precision and strength, you'll be throwing spears at people. Or animals," Seeder says. "Well, people are animals by definition, but you get my point."

"And by the looks of you," Timothy begins, "if I may say that, minimal food will do for you, as Careers need a lot of food. That's a bonus too."

"Tayann, what about you?"

"Huh? M-me?" She blushes. "I'm good with kids…" She says, a bit ashamed.

"All the tributes are kids," Timothy says, "What do you mean you're good with kids?"

"She was looking after my sister when I was working," I inform him.

"I guess I'm good reading people," Tayann says. "As in, knowing their emotions. And if I have spent a significant amount of time with them, or we are on the same page, I notice minimal changes. Like muscle tension, or unnatural movements, for example, fake smiling or lying."

"That's good, that's good. At least in the beginning with the interviews and training. Some people get really chatty."

"Just a quick question, why do you want to win the Games?" Seeder asks.

"My sister," I answer.

She looks at Tayann, who was back to her ball formation, staring at her feet.

"Tayann," I whisper to her.

"Huh?" She looks up, surprised.

"Why do you want to win the Games?" Seeder asks her.

"I," she thinks about it. "For…uh…I don't know. Maybe I don't even want to win it. I have no one to go back to."

"Family?" Seeder asks, caught off guard.

"I wouldn't move a muscle to save them, besides, Range and his sister, they are more my family then them."

This equally frightened me, and made me happy.

_District 12- Alia O'Larr_

The goodbyes went well; I didn't show my true colours to the girls…

Anyways, would it be the right time to say that if you look at Anglis the right way, he is cute?

I mean, he is dark blonde, muscular, yet a tiny tiny bit chubby, with large brown eyes. I could just pick him up and hug him.

He is even more adorable when smiling his sheepish smile, and then laughing with Peeta.

"Isn't he adorable?" Mrs. Mellark asks me.

"Yes, yes he is…" I say, a bit too dreamily. "Wait…which one of them were you talking about?" She smiled.

"My husband, obviously. And you were thinking about Anglis, won't you now?"

"No!" I retort, trying to hide my emotions.

She sighs happily.

"Girl, I was your age too once."

"But, I don't love him," I continue to lie.

"Sure you don't."

Okay, maybe she's right. I do have _those_ feelings towards him.

Then Anglis looks at me, smiles, and winks.

At me.

I felt my head heating up, like a thousand degrees.

"Are you okay? You look…red," he asks worried.

"You winked at me," I say, calming down.

"Oh, no, sorry. My eyes have seizures every so often, and I uncontrollably wink once or twice."

"Oh…okay…seizures," I say, then whisper, "so obvious…"


	17. FDUSALR Hotel

_****_**Poll on my profile!  
>IMPORTANT!<br>VOTE  
>thanks :)<br>**

_**Archangel Michael, Fancy Dandy Ultra Super Amazing Luxurious Rich Hotel**_

Well isn't this exciting?

The tributes are coming, finally!

All that tension inside me, about to be gone! The accident in District 2 really made me worry, but then I figured that they are a strong District, with strong children.

I bet this year's Games will be most satisfying for everyone, even the tributes.

At the station, cabs pick the little munchkins up and get to the year's hotel. Or at least from the 90th Games when there was an…accident.

The training facility had some electric devil, and an explosion was caused.

A big one.

Though no one died, sadly.

Anyways, they are coming!

"Welcome to Fdusalr Hotel!" I say as happily as I can.

I look as normal as one expects, wearing just semi formal clothing, nothing fancy or Capitol Wacky.

Twenty five children. One more female than usual. Fun.

"Fdusalr what?" Aden asks. "Hehe, fusrodah…"

"Fdusalr Hotel, short for Fancy Dandy Ultra Super Amazing Luxurious Rich, the owner is quite a…character."

It is interesting, seeming them all, in one space.

Their faces, expressions.

Some try to socialize, some keep to themselves, some act intimidating, some look normal, docile, and so on.

"And who the hell are you?" Liana asks.

"Just a simple messenger of Gamemakers. I was sent here to welcome you and give you a quick briefing."

"Why? To make us feel more miserable?"

"No Mister Asher, just to give you a heads up. Like about the Quarter Quell. You all wondered how your friends will be used, no?"

Some people try to mask their shock when they remember their families.

"Either or," I simply say.

"What does that supposed to mean?" Sebastian asks.

"It simply means that either one or the other, but never the both."

"Simply enough, yes," I agreed with Tobias. This earned some whispers, namely from the weaker districts. "Quiet simply, you'll be presented with a choice. Someone you know against something you need, desperately need. And I do mean desperately. This will get most of you. No matter how kind and unselfish you are, if you get to _that_ part, you are, as one can say, screwed."

"So what's the catch?" William asks.

"Isn't the catch…catchy enough?"

"Surely it is, but there are socialites and antisocial," he said, referring to himself and his partner. "I am sure that someone who has two people only will have more times when you can screw with them, and some people have too much."

"Oh Mr. Taylor, intelligent yet blind."

"Excuse you," he said.

"Easy. We will use the Mentors for antisocials and two or three at a time for socialites."

"_We_?" Almost all of them ask a bit too eerily.

"Oh would you look at that, a flaming mockingjay!" I say and run away, into the elevator, and press the button for the highest floor, and close the door.

Whew.

I fail at times_._

As I'm going up on the elevator, I go over the schedule. Today the munchkins came and afternoon they will be having meet-and-greet with their team, since not all Mentors went with the train, and their Prep Team.

Tomorrow will be a cool off day, meaning there will be no training, Prep Team time, free activites only. On Wednesday, they will have a Prep Team session and a Mentor session. Thursday is the day for the Chariot Rides. Friday and Saturday will be Training and Mentor sessions, no free activities. Sunday will be a free day, with easy sessions. Monday afternoon is the interviews. Wednesday will be the Grading Day, when the Gamemakers will judge them.

On Friday the 13th, the Games begin.

**Author's Note: This was like an inter-chapter. Sorry for the long gap, went through a lot, and now my relative is being a very very bad example of what a person can become. Going through a lot, worse than usual, but I'm insane enough to bare it **


	18. Stylist Session 1

_**Archangel Gabriel, Beau D'Art**_

It is pathetic if you think about it, that ten years, ten years they had to renovate the site of explosion, to rebuild it to its formal glory, and the Capitol did not. Instead we have the Hotel, this Salon, and then a Training Ground, all in different places, yet relatively close.

Fortunately.

I keep slapping my friend's back-of-the-head for his foolishness.

"I'm sorry, how many times do I have to say it?" He asks.

"For as long as I want you to. Pitiful human."

"So are you, so shut it."

"Make me."

"I tell your lover!"

I look at him with my best evil glare I have, which is quite evil. "Your soul is a bag of gay farts."

"Aren't you friendly?"

The Chariot Rides are tonight…This day always makes me hyped up. It is so…pretty, the whole thing. The chariots themselves and their riders. I wonder what will go how this year.

"Some mood music, no?" I ask them and plug my music deployer to the loudspeakers. I prefer something nonverbal, or with minimal singing. It is easier to dance to.

Not like I dance that ridiculous dance, no, never.

Maybe with Nina. Not alone.

Haha, I love the video. Old creeper gets killed by innocent girl with her telepathic powers. So inspirational…makes me want to kill.

The Stylists are already fighting over the bodies. It is easy to tune in into their conversation. All you need is some willpower.

District 1 is like a mass of rainbows…

"Get me the glitter!"

"Glitter? Yuck. Star powder."

"Idiot! Star powder is _powder_ that is why it is called powder!"

"But glitter is too shiny!"

Maru, the boss of the little team of two smacks them.

"Last time I checked, I was the boss." Maru is a young, good looking man on the inside, and a young, not handsome but educated young man on the inside. He thinks while scratching his chin. "The song. It's new. District 1 is luxury, yes? Well, what song is about luxury?"

"Diamond Shower?"

"Golden Toes?"

"Morons, not today's crap. The old ones. Before the Dark Days." He went to the computer, typed quickly, and then music filled with the air. Of course, it was quiet, so others cannot hear it but them…and me, of course.

~_You gotta help me out, it's all a blur last niiiiight, we need a taxi, cause you're hung-over and I'm broke~_

I smile. A hundred and seventy years is not that old…

"Two rich characters in the rich night. I think it goes well with their personalities. Of course, they need some polishing to do but it's minimal."

"We're here too you know!" The boy called out.

"Not the glitter, not the star powder, but we will use real diamonds and rubies here."

District 2 was going fairly well.

Except the Prep Team.

It's hideous.

Bobble Glaze _is _good at what he does, but really, he should look more human.

With that orange skin, those purple eyes and yellow hair, not even talking about the whiskers drawn on his face, the large fake ears, and feliny eyes…looks like a really bad anime cosplay of the Yellow Cheshire Cat.

The team is just as bad. Purple skin, green skin, yellow skin.

Bobble and I went to the same school. He is quite a person to know.

Don't trust his looks; he is very educated, not only in fashion, but everything. He is also serious, much more than he needs to be. He chose to look the way he is, so he can forget his past.

He told me, and made me promise it to keep it a secret, and so I will.

"Heh, equinox," he noted the song. "Typical," he said to himself, "and as for you," he said, looking at the seated lovers-to-be, "sound your requests."

Ms. Wintre tilted her head in question.

"Any wishes to be for the rides?"

"Peacekeeper!" Ms. Wintre said suddenly. "Though that's old."

Ouch.

I was a Peacekeeper once.

"Old it is, but it can be easily exploited. The music gave me an idea. Why don't I pick a song that you will perform?" I forced myself to fake cough Singing? Really? "Or just play it under the ride."

"I'm good with it," Mr. Asher said.

"Same here."

"Well then, I have just the one. A man goes to war thinking about his lover. One dies, the other goes. For the fun, we make you die, and you take revenge of your boyfriend."

What he didn't tell them, is that once they ride this train; they won't get off until the end.

District 3 clearly has a hierarchy. At the top is Romulus Laprete, then under him, the one supervising what the youngsters do, Remus Laprete, and under him are Medea and Astynax.

Using knowledge of basic ancient history, and a bit of common sense, Romulus and Remus are obsessed with wolves. Who would've though?

Meeting Remus in the night is nearly impossible sine he is black.

As in, black black. Black as night black.

He decided to swim in a bucket of black paint, or so Romulus told people. Even better, he wears dark clothing.

His brother decided to become a follower of Romulus and became a lycanthrope. Not a real one, no, for he'd be used in the Games. He just has fangs, ears, claws, eyes, and all the other fun stuff of a wolf.

Medea is the secound newest in the team, being a critical and secretive woman, her looks fit her. Her face is piercing-ed to, and over, the maximum, with black spiky hair, and black, red and dark purple markings on her body.

Astynax is a whiny, naïve boy, kind of like a small child. Though he does what is told, and most usually doesn't complain. He is quite an artist too, especially good with make-up. He can transform the most hideous old hag into the love of your life, and vice versa.

"Lucky bastard Gamma, she gets to work with a lupus…" Romulus growled under his breath.

"Any ideas with them?" Remus asks, kind of acting out of his character, knowing he is mostly quiet, and doesn't add to the conversation.

"Ray's outfit was amazing," Astynax said. "Cyber and all that."

"We could do simi…nah, no," Medea started than stopped herself.

"I could go on the usual Stylist thing that we need something new, obvious yet amazing, simple and great, but you know the drill."

Astynax was drawing again in his notebook.

"What'cha drawing," Romulus asked him, as he himself was chewing a pencil.

"Oh, sorry, won't happen again," Astynax said a bit ashamed and started to put away his drawings, but Romulus grabbed the notebook.

"I wasn't mad, just wondering about your drawings."

"O…okay, fine," Astynax said and opened the book. "It's Minus and Plus, for a graphic novel I want to write and draw. Don't have much storyline or conflict, just them. Minus is hyperactive and reckle-"

"That's it!" Romulus cut into Astynax. "Minus and Plus. Electricity. You genius bastard," Romulus said happily as he messed the boy's hair.

I shall note that 'bastard' is a common word for Romulus.

"Binar, you'll be Minus and Finley, you will be Plus. And I just got the idea for the interviews."

District 4 is going hard this year, now that Cyan has total control.

"Okay sugarbeats, since Tsunami and Tidewater insisted, I destroyed my plans of the pirate, mermaid, merman, and all that water themed, and went with the night life of District 4. Beach parties. I was listening to this music and it got me. You won't go down without a fight. Both of you will appear to be coming from a beach party, you know, beach clothing, if there is one. Most of us wear bikinis and a long and wide shawl around the waist, used as a skirt, and guys go shirtless in speedos. At least in my time."

"Can we, can we?" Tsunami and Tidewater asked, jumping like two kids.

"Go on ahead kiddos."

Note, Cyan was pregnant with twins twenty years ago, and the two grew up to be stylists, and they, the three of them were great in a group. Go figure.

"Since Ms. Davis has purple eyes that need to be figured out how, easily she can have seaweed green hair, maybe toned down, bikini top and surfer shorts, if she agrees," Tsunami said as he showed his picture.

"And for Shark, a typical surfer hunk-a-dunk. Ripped, a tattoo or two, fake of course, surf board, all that."

Cyan looked at the girl.

"Did I say hunk-a-dunk? I meant person."

For the years I knew Cyan, she never stops until victory, and she might have that.

Severine and Cassandra make a fun pair for District 5. I like Cassandra, she is a nice person, but kind of bipolar.

When she is doing fashion, she is devoted ultimately. She makes everything herself by hand, never trusts a machine to make something as delicate as clothing, and treats everything with the outmost care. She makes two copies of every outfit. One she puts on a mannequin after use, and one she places in a glass cage.

But when she is not around fashion, which can be happening, because she sometimes outdoes her job, she becomes a living corpse. She looks even paler, and she is very depressed, sarcastic and mean towards anyone. But, it's part of her beauty, part of her pale skinned, black make-up, wine hair beauty.

Me like.

Her partner is Severine, an extremely talkative young lady who, when she gets started, wouldn't shut up. Not even if that would end everything bad in the world. No…but even better, because it seems like talking fuels her never ending energy to do things, she can keep up with her boss.

She looks like a pyromaniac; sporting a very detailed, self made flame tattoo engulfing her left hand, her hair cut shoulder length and layered with different shades of red, orange, and yellow.

"Here is my preposition. Since your District is all about DNA and science, let's make some séance."

"Séance? Ghosts? Those are almost the exact opposite of science and DNA," Elias starts the argument politely.

"On the contrary in this situation. For these ghosts are belonging to those two humans who were caught in midst of time and space, in an everlasting waltz. Erm…ghosts, are the bad word, sorry, more like, after shadows with an eerie purple atmosphere."

"Much better," Elias smiles.

"And it will include some changes in your appearances, minimal only."

District 6 is very interesting; having two tamed wild creatures too. Ms. Rowan has her wolf, never ever blinking, ready to attack anyone just on command…or maybe without one. Mr. Rasputun has his owl as help, because he is going blind, slowly, but surely.

I find it interesting that their stylist can be in the Games. She is only seventeen, perfect for shedding blood. She manipulates three lunatics.

One, the most normal looking, has hot pink hair that seems to grow into all directions, with turquoise eyes and a gem on her forehead. Another has a tiger tail, funnily she cannot use it, and it's just there, like a dead snake. The same woman has blue hair, and a badly draw flower on her cheek. The last one, a male, has a purple Mohawk, and a _J_ carved into his nose.

They are all very loud, driving the poor wolf mad.

Gamma has lime green, straight-as-pin, ankle length hair with eyes that change in hue, and a large lighting tattoo on her back. Only way I know, is that she wears a revealing dress.

"I'm the youngest of the bunch! I'm so happy and talented! I'm amazing! I will make you look beautiful! You will make the Capitolians gawk in amazement."

Xanthe sighed at the blindness of the woman.

"I would like you so much better without tongues," she admitted.

Snapragon smiled and nodded in agreement.

Ah, District 7. The silent psychopath and the evil witch. They'd make a good time if you ask me, but you don't.

Their Stylist, Cheery Maggie, her real name Cherie Caro, is the typical very king, sugar sweet lady who will choke you with your own pillow in your sleep with a sweet smile if you are on her bad side.

"We will be the best of friends! We will have parties, share a good joke and all that. But you don't want to be mean to me, oh no, you don't want that to happen, because I can be mean too, very mean." Exactly what I said. She scares me, and since that one time she tried to kill someone with their own pillow, I have no pillows in my room.

Their Prep Team is some really annoying, rainbow idiots. The three people look like a unicorn barfed on them.

Tobias was clearly unimpressed, if not annoyed by their tries to make a conversation.

"So girl," Cherie said with a very strong, typical teenage spoiled brat girl accent as she sat down next to Madelyn, putting her hands on her lap, "what do you like to do?"

"Bossing over people, controlling them, defying authority, being mean to people who screwed my life up. Also, torturing them. But I also enjoy strolls at night, flowers and unicorns. Of course, if I can use them to poke through someone's eye…"

"Oh…that is…great. Me I like fashion, and shopping…and not using unicorns to stab people's head."

"Oh, and I also enjoy getting money for no reason."

"How about you?" Cheery Maggie asks Mr. Whitehair.

"I enjoy the company of silence and solitude," he simply said.

District 8 is laughable, in the good way. How there are two girls? This is the only district where there are two stylists too…Not-so surprisingly, it was Alelina who wanted to be the Stylist this year, and eventually _bought_ her way into it.

That means there are two Prep Teams too.

Codie has the better team I think. Kermin, his Stylist, is very kind, and is actually quite human. He is from African descent, with a gene mishap, because he has blond cornrows that meat in a ponytail right above his forehead. He wears only golden coloured clothing, and he wants all of them to sparkle.

At times, when there is a lot of tension, like now, he randomly starts dancing and singing a song that is mainly made up of the lyrics _I whip my hair back and forth_, and considering how he has his hair, it can be quite comical.

His team includes three mono-colour people. One wears only blue, different shades of blue, and she is talkative. The red one is the kind one, always smiling, and seems to be very kind and caring toward the green one, who is only seventeen, and he is quite clumsy.

The other team, starting with Alelina. She is normal looking, with gold lipstick and gold hair. She is very persistent and stubborn, driving some people mad. She needs a slap with a shovel at times. Her team is a group of thrown-together people. Like their creator put them together in a hurry. One is blue, just…blue. Then there is one that looks like a fruit hat, with all her colours, and one that has different eyes, different hair, and different skin. Like she is cut in the middle different.

The two girl tributes are not arguing, finally, and just sit through Alelina talking endlessly, nodding their head occasionally.

Eleanor has Aden and Anne, and I think the two girls will get along just fine. Eleanor never talks more she needs to, that's her team's work. She makes dreams come true of vibrant colours and effects, like, making sure all of one's sensory systems will get a taste of her work. She looks very much normal, but she made sure to have neon orange eyes until her heart stops beating.

Her team is typical, all bubbly and clueless to the world outside, smiling and chatting and doing their routine of annoying humans.

"Chocolate?" Eleanor asks.

"No thank you," Anne kindly rejects her offer.

"Yes please," Aden says, smiling at the chocolate.

"Oh just wondering, are you good actors?"

"No. Not at all."

"I lived my life lying to the ones I loved, I think I can manage some dimwitted Capitol people," Anne said, then added, "of course, there are exceptions."

"Everyone thinks of District 10 as hardworking, but I grew up there, and I know that you can have a lot of fun as a farmer. So I thought of having you dressed up as very…hyper humans."

"Oh that, I can do that, no problem. I'm hyped up usually at home," then his happiness went away when he realized he may never see home again.

"Being hyper? Yeah, I'm good with that."

When your Stylist is Stella, you don't need a big group of people. Because she has Hurricane, the fastest Prep Team member ever yet, though she is a perfectionist, and there are times when she has to redo something a lot of times.

Stella is the kind of person who loves make-up and clothing, and tattoos and piercings, but on other people. Her Heaven is a world populated by people just for her use.

Tayann is like a doll, waiting to be told what to do. She…her life…it's like she erased everything in her life from her memory, and…agh…It's creeping me out, how she is listening, without moving a muscle or anything.

She scares me, and fascinates me at the same time. She is perfect for Stella.

Hurricane has, guess what? Gray hair formed like a beehive, or better yet, a hurricane! Gasp! The surprise!

"Eleanor and I are good friends, she gave me some chocolate. Interested?" She asks smilng.

"No thank you, I'm allergic," Range says.

"I just dislike chocolate, my apologies," Tayann said blankly, but than return Stella's smile just as warmly.

"Oh well, don't tell me I didn't ask you…" she took a bite of chocolate. "You know what goes well with chocolate? Fresh fruit, I love having fresh strawberries, and dipping the tip, only the tip in white chocolate, ooh, you have to try it while you are here," she says.

"I'll make sure," Tayann said, almost happily? It's awkward, like she tuned in with Stella. Indeed she is very interesting.

District 12 looks a bit miserable, especially since Mr and Mrs Mellark are there. It's like, they try to imagine it's Cinna talking to them, not Christofer, but I can see that Alia is eyeing both her partner and her Stylist.

Christofer is only twenty years, but he graduated two years early with perfect grades, earning great respect even from Mrs. Trinket. He is a man of his words, and is always open for new ideas, especially that involve majestic state changes and elements. He cares about his looks, and is proud of his phenotype. He wears tight jeans, and tight shirt, making sure his perfect abdomen is as eye-catching as possible, without looking like a man-whore. Or until some girl his age starts flirting with him, because all wraith of Dia will be on him.

His team is Melli, Mrs. Trinket's daughter, and her friend, Nelli. They are normal, nothing Capitol special about them or anything.

Christofer is humming, something silently singing along the song as he is drawing.

"But I set fire to the rain, watched it pour down as I touched your face…Set fire to the rain…fire…to the rain," he stopped singing, smiled, and showed the tributes the picture.

"Holy…"

"…Wow…"

Everyone was left with a mouth wide open.

**Author's Note: Poll on my profile, vote!**


End file.
